Effect of Various Maturity Stages at Harvest on Storability of Persimmon Fruits (Diospyros kaki L.)

Abstract

Fruits of a commercial cultivar of sweet persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) were harvested at four stages of maturity to evaluate the practical maximum postharvest storage during 1998 and 1990. Fruits were harvested at four stages of maturity which corresponded to 6th October, 19th October, 4th November, 29th November in 1998 and 1st October, 15th October and 29th October in 1999, respectively. Fruits were held at 2 ±1oC and 95 % relative humidity for a period of twenty weeks. Fruit firmness, titrable acidity (TA), soluble tannin and vitamin C content significantly decreased with increasing maturity, while pH and soluble solid concentrations (SSC) increased. After storage, fruit harvested at all stages of maturity had higher pH, SSC, weight loss, and breakdown, but lower TA, firmness, vitamin C and soluble tannins as compared with their quality attributes at harvest. The least weight loss (less than 10 percent) during twenty weeks storage occurred in fruits harvested at the early stage of maturity (first harvest ), compared to other harvest dates. Fruit firmness, SSC and vitamin C content were also best in the same order for the first harvest. However, at the end of storage period, total soluble tannins were remarkably high in fruit harvested at the early stage of maturity. In contrast, harvesting fruit at early maturity stage (i.e., SSC around 13 % and fruit firmness of 15 kg/cm2) was found to be the best stage for minimising a postharvest loss and maintaining a marketable persimmon fruit quality product for short term storage.