Vol. 71 No: 2

Title:
Postharvest Storage Temperature and Film Wrap Effects on Quality of Chayote, Sechium Edule Sw.

Authors:
L.H. AUNG, C.M. HARRIS, R.E. RIJ and J.W. BROWN

pp: 297-304

Abstract:
Chayote fruit quality deteriorates with storage. At 25°C postharvest storage, fruit lost 1.3% of its fresh weight per day compared with 0.5% day^-1 at 15°C or 0.02% day^-1 at 10°C. The rate of weight loss was 2–5 fold greater at 25°C than at 15°C or 10°C. During the five weeks of storage, unwrapped fruit lost over 40% of their fresh weight at 25°C, 18.9% at 15°C and 13.0% at 10°C. The shrivelled appearance due to weight loss detracts from the utility, appeal and salability of the fruits. Wrapping the fruit in a commercial grade polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film significantly reduced weight loss. The weight loss for the five-week storage period of PVC wrapped fruit was 8.3% at 25°C, 4.0% at 15°C and 1.3% at 10°C. The best storage of fruits was obtained with PVC film wrap at 10°C. Firmness of the skin (exocarp) and flesh (mesocarp) of the fruit remained relatively unaffected by storage at 10°C–25°C. An average skin firmness of an edible chayote fruit measured 22.1 ± 2.7 N and the flesh 14.3 ± 0.8 N. The firmness of the seed cotyledons within the fruit at 25°C significantly increased with increasing duration of storage. The increased cotyledon firmness was associated with enhanced sprouting at 25°C in contrast to 15°C or 10°C.

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