Effect of cultivar, hot water treatment and storage conditions on quality of fresh-cut papaya (Carica papaya L.).
Department of Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2000.v02i01.04
The effects of hot water treatments and storage conditions on quality of fresh-cut papaya were investigated. A hot water treatment of 48-50 degrees C for 20 minutes was found to delay fungal storage rots in fruits of Tainung #2 and Red Lady cultivars without negatively affecting sensory quality. Fresh-cut slices from fruit of Tainung #2 and Red Lady cultivars were stored at 5 degrees C and 10 degrees C and evaluated for changes in physical, chemical and microbial quality over eight days. There was a decline in sensory quality and acceptability of Red Lady papaya slices after four days at both temperatures, while fresh-cut Tainung #2 fruit held at 5 degrees C and 10 degrees C was found to have high sensory quality and acceptability up to six days of storage. A storage temperature of 5 degrees C was more effective than 10 degrees C in reducing CO2 and ethylene accumulation, as well as suppressing microbial growth, while maintaining high sensory quality in fresh-cut papaya slices. Unacceptable microbial counts w
