Respiration and ethylene evolution behavior of sapota and their relationship to postharvest shelf life

Abstract

Sapota (Manilkara achras Mill.) is an important tropical fruit belonging to family sapotaceae, and grown commercially in India. Fruit is mainly preferred for fresh market consumption, to lesser extent used to produce the jam or fresh juice. Due to the highly perishable nature of the fruit, it is necessary to identify the genotypes for better postharvest quality and shelf life. The study was carried out to evaluate the Kalipatti, Cricket Ball and Oblong varieties for postharvest respiration and ethylene evolution during storage at 26±2 OC for 8 days. Kalipatti variety showed significantly lower rate of respiration, ethylene production as compared to other two varieties. The study revealed that the kalipatti variety holds better promising results with lower respiration and ethylene productions which directly helps in extending the marketable life of fruits.