Conservação do abacaxi ʻTuriaçu Amazonasʼ: Escurecimento interno e uso de revestimento comestível

Abstract

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merril) is a fruit produced in tropical climates, and when exposed to low temperatures, it presents injuries known as internal browning. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an edible cassava starch-based coating at concentrations of 0%, 3% and 5% on the internal browning of ‘Turiaçu Amazonas’ pineapple stored for 35 days at 7°C ± 2°C and 85 ± 5% RH. The parameters evaluated included the color of the pulp and cylinder (L* and b* system), mass loss, firmness, vitamin C, pH, electrolyte leakage, soluble solids, total soluble sugars, titratable acidity and the relationship between soluble solids and titratable acidity in samples of pulp and cylinder of ‘Turiaçu Amazonas’ pineapple, in addition to histochemical evaluations. Treatments with cassava starch at different concentrations altered the extravasation of electrolytes in the pulp, pH in the cylinder, soluble solids in the pulp and titratable acidity in the pulp and cylinder. The greatest mass loss was in the control, while the 5% concentration was more efficient in preserving the internal and external appearance. Histochemical tests revealed the presence of phenolic compounds in the pineapple cylinder at the beginning and end of the storage period. Thus, it was concluded that the cassava starch coating delayed internal browning, preserving the physical-chemical characteristics of the ‘Turiaçu Amazonas’ pineapple during refrigerated storage.