CONSERVAÇÃO DE FRUTOS DE MAMÃO NA PÓS-COLHEITA COM USO DE BIOFILME À BASE DE FÉCULA DE MANDIOCA

Abstract

The papaya fruit has a low durability in the post-harvest due to its fast ripening. The use of edible biofilms is a viable alternative, since it has the capacity to delay metabolic processes related to ripening, thus increasing the shelf life of the fruits. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of cassava starch-based biofilm at different concentrations in the conservation of papaya fruits in the postharvest period. The experiment was carried out at the Instituto Federal Goiano – Campus Ceres. Papaya fruits of the Bela Nova cultivar were used. The design used was completely randomized, in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme, with four concentrations of cassava starch (0, 2, 4 and 6%) and four storage periods (0, 5, 10 and 15 days). Fruits were evaluated for fresh mass loss, skin color, pH, titratable acidity and total soluble solids. Starch concentrations of 4 and 6% delayed ripening, but impaired the quality of the fruits, making them dry. Thus, for the conservation of papaya fruits in the postharvest, cassava starch solutions with concentrations below 4% should be used.