Effects of Different Maturity Stages on the Quality of Purple Passion Fruit
Fruit colour development and shrivelling are one of the major concerns of Vietnamese passion fruit industry as it reduces the appearance and downgrades fruit quality.
The effects of colour stages were determined in purple passion grown in Gia Lai province, Vietnam. Immediately after harvesting, fruits were transported to the laboratory in Ho Chi Minh City and stored at 20 ºC.
Data showed that different maturity stages, viz., skin colour development stages of purple passion fruit significantly affected the quality including colour development and chemical properties.
1. Introduction
Passion fruit is native to South America (Brazil), belongs to the family Passifloraceae and is grown mainly in the tropics and subtropics. Passion fruit is a tropical vine with thin vines, tens of meters long, with delicious taste and high nutritional value. The seasons for high yield are March – May and August – December.
Currently, passion fruit is grown in a number of countries such as Thailand, Australia, South Africa and Vietnam in which there are two popular varieties of passion fruit: purple passion fruit variety (Passiflora edulis Sims.) and yellow passion fruit variety (Passiflora edulis f. Flavicarpa) (Aguiar-Menezes et al., 2002).
Passion fruit loses a significant amount of moisture if stored in low humidity conditions, leading to skin shrivelling and loss of aesthetics (Díaz et al., 2012). To avoid shrivelling and excessive weight loss, passion fruit should be stored at suitable humidity.
Storing passion fruit in perforated plastic bags or PVC packages will reduce moisture loss and shrivelling (Rinaldi et al., 2017). The peeling phenomenon does not adversely affect the quality of the pulp. In fact, passion fruit with shrivelled skin tends to taste sweeter (Joy, 2016).
Due to the price fluctuation of passion fruit in the market, many farmers have not harvested the passion fruit at the right maturity when the market is at a high price, which has reduced the quality of passion fruit because of the problem of skin colour development.
Therefore, the present research aimed to study the effects of different maturity stages, viz., colour development level on fruit quality thereby providing insights into additional measures and prevention methods to enhance overall passion fruit quality in commercial consignments.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
Purple passion fruits were harvested from an orchard in Gia Lai province, Viet Nam. The fruits were collected at four different maturity stages, viz., under 25% purple colour turning (stage 1), 25-50% purple colour turning (stage 2), 51-75% purple colour turning (stage 3), and over purple 75% colour turning (stage 4).
The fruits were then transported to the post harvest laboratory in Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival at the Postharvest laboratory, the fruits were stored in a ripening room at 20 ± 1°C. Twenty four fruits per stage were used in this experiment. Physiological and fruit quality parameters were recorded every second day.
2.2. Quality assessments
2.2.1. Skin colour development
Skin colour was objectively measured using a CR 400 Chroma Meter (Konica Minolta, Japan). Colour was determined with two measurements per fruit (stem end and central region) and repeated every second day at the same position.
Values were obtained for lightness (L) and chroma (C) and hue angle (ho) as calculated using ‘a’ and ‘b’ values by LabLchConversions (Semba et al., 2002). L value represents the lightness of the colour with 0 for black and 100 for white. C data represents colour saturation for h° representing colour space chroma position where red purple is an angle of 0°, yellow is 90°, bluish-green is 180°, and blue is 270° (McGuire, 1992; Semba et al., 2002).
Skin colour was also subjectively rated using the following scale: 0 = 100% green, 1 = 90% green and 10% purple, 2 = 70-80 % green and 20-30% purple, 3 = 40 – 50% green and 50-60% purple, 4 = 5 – 15% green and 85 – 95% purple, 5 = 100% purple and 6 = 100% purple and very dark purple, no shining, sometimes wrinkled.
2.2.2. Overall fruit quality assessment
Overall fruit quality was assessed using a subjective four-point scoring system; 1 = high-quality fruit with glossy skin and no signs of dehydration, shrivelling, decay or bruises; 2 = acceptable fruit quality with dull skin and slight signs of shrivelling, bruises and softness; 3 = unacceptable fruit with dull skin and moderate signs of shrivelling, browning, dryness, bruises and softness; and 4 = poor quality fruit with evident signs of shrivelling, pitting, significant softness, decay.
2.2.3. Fruit shrivel
Fruit shrivel was scored using a five-point scoring system; 1 = no skin shrivels, full plump fruit; 2 = slight shrivel (<10% shrivel); 3 = light shrivel (<25% shrivel); 4 = moderate shrivel (50% shrivel); and 5 = severe deep shrivel (Golding et al., 2015).
2.2.4. TSS
Prior to instrumental analysis, the samples were thawed and squeezed through two layers of cheesecloth to extract the juice. The TSS (oBrix) of juice samples was determined at room temperature using a PAL-1 digital hand-held “Pocket” refractometer (Atago, Japan).
2.2.5. TA
Flesh samples were collected and stored as above. Prior to instrumental analysis, they were thawed and blended with a stick blender. TA of 10 g samples of the homogenised pulp in 100 ml distilled water and then determined with a titrator using 0.1 M NaOH as the titrant. TA was expressed as the citric acid equivalent (%) in each sample.
2.3 Data analysis
The data were subjected to analysis of variation (ANOVA) with Minitab software with maturity stages and storage time as the sources of variation. Differences between means were tested using least significant differences (Fisher’s protected LSD) at P≤0.05.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Skin colour development
The passion fruit from all stages showed significant development of skin colour during storage. The fruit all stages turned to red and then dark purple and purple peels. The fruit from stage 4 turned to dark purple and appeared wrinkled at the end of storage (Table 1). Degradation of chlorophyll and the production and degradation of anthocyanins and carotenoids lead to colour changes in the fruit (Montero‐Calderón and Cerdas‐Araya, 2012).
Table 1: Skin colour rating scores of passion fruit from different maturity stages during storage. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | Day 0 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 11 | Day 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 1.7l | 3.5g | 4.6e | 5.4cd | 5.7abc | 5.8abc | 5.8abc |
| Stage 2 | 2.4h | 4.0f | 5.4cd | 5.8abc | 5.8ab | 5.4cd | 5.7abc |
| Stage 3 | 3.3g | 4.3ef | 5.1d | 5.5bcd | 5.8abc | 5.9ab | 6.0a |
| Stage 4 | 4.2ef | 5.2d | 5.8abc | 5.9ab | 6.0a | 6.0a | 6.0a |
The L * values gradually increased at the later storage time. The results regarding the L * value showed significant differences among skin colour stages (P ≤ 0.05). In the last storage period, the L * value was not significantly different between stages. Decreasing L * value indicates an increase in dark purple colour and progression to browning of passion fruit peel after storage time when passion fruit turns from green to purple with passion fruit peel losing moisture after storage time. This comes from an increase in anthocyanin formation during the ripening process of passion fruits (Pongener et al., 2014).
Table 2: The L* values of passion fruit from different maturity stages thorough storage period. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | Day 0 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 77.1b | 66.7jk | 66.8jk | 67.7ij | 68.5gih | 69.3efgh |
| Stage 2 | 80.4a | 70.2e | 69.6ef | 67.7ij | 68.6efgh | 69.3c |
| Stage 3 | 74.7c | 71.8d | 68.9fgh | 66.5k | 68.6fghi | 69.4efg |
| Stage 4 | 77.6b | 68.3hi | 67.6ijk | 66.9jk | 68.4ghi | 68.5fghi |
The statistical analysis of data regarding a* values showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among skin colour stages during storage. Increased a* value indicates that passion fruit tends to change from green to red to purple, indicating that the longer it is stored, the peel will turn red to purple. The b* value indicated the value representing the passion fruit peel from green to yellow. After the storage period, the peel colour of passion fruit stages 1, 2 and 3 turned red and purple while the peel colour of passion fruit from stage 4 turned dark purple.
Table 3: The a* values of passion fruit from different stages thorough storage period. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | Day 0 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | -7.9k | -5.5ij | -4.9ij | -4.5ghi | -3.7efgh | -3.5defgh |
| Stage 2 | -5.7ij | -2.7bcdef | -2.0bcdef | -3.8fgh | -3.2cdefg | -2.7bcdef |
| Stage 3 | -6.6ik | -1.1a | -2.1a | -4.6hi | -2.8bcdef | -2.4abcde |
| Stage 4 | -1.8abc | -1.5ab | -2.7ab | -3.2cdefg | -2.1abcd | -1.8abc |
Table 4: The b* values of passion fruit from different stages thorough storage period. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | Day 0 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 17.1bc | 14.0jkl | 13.9kl | 14.6hijkl | 15.3defghi | 16.0cdef |
| Stage 2 | 19.8a | 16.3bcd | 15.5defghi | 14.7 hijkl | 15.2 defghi | 15.9defg |
| Stage 3 | 15.0efghijk | 17.3b | 15.7defgh | 14.0kl | 15.3defghi | 16.1cde |
| Stage 4 | 16.2bcd | 14.8ghijkl | 14.5ijkl | 13.91 | 14.9fghijkl | 15.1efghijk |
Table 5: The h values of passion fruit from different stages thorough storage period. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | Day 0 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 115.2a | 112.1ab | 111.2ab | 107.2bcd | 104.0cdefg | 102.4defgh |
| Stage 2 | 106.1cde | 100.4fghij | 101.1 efghij | 104.8cdef | 102.2defghi | 99.6ghij |
| Stage 3 | 114.2a | 93.7k | 94.2k | 108.7bc | 100.7fghij | 98.6hij |
| Stage 4 | 96.5j | 96.2j | 96.2j | 103.3defgh | 98.4hij | 97.11ij |
The statistical analysis of data regarding h values showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among maturity stages during storage. After the storage period, stage 1 had the highest h value as compared to other stages.
3.2 Overall fruit quality
After the period of storage, the overall fruit quality of all stages decreased gradually since day 5 as the slightly wrinkled skin were due to moisture loss resulting in fruit dehydration. Although there were no significant differences among stages (P > 0.05), the results regarding overall fruit quality showed significant differences among storage time (P ≤ 0.05).
Table 6: Overall quality of passion fruits from different maturity stages during storage. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Storage time | Overall fruit quality score |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | 1.0e |
| Day 3 | 1.1e |
| Day 5 | 1.9d |
| Day 7 | 2.0cd |
| Day 9 | 2.3bc |
| Day 11 | 2.4b |
| Day 13 | 2.9a |
3.3 Fruit shrivel
There was no significant difference in fruit shrivelling among stages (P > 0.05). The results regarding overall fruit quality showed significant differences in fruit shrivelling among storage time (P ≤ 0.05). Fruit shrivel increased significantly during storage. Dehydration occurs due to the difference in relative humidity between the inner atmosphere of the fruit and the surrounding air. Those losses are partly limited by the peel, which functions as a barrier against water evaporation (Montero‐Calderón and Cerdas‐Araya, 2012).
Table 7: The shriveling scores of passion fruit from different maturity stages during storage. Means that do not share a letter are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Storage time | Fruit shriveling |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | 1.0d |
| Day 3 | 1.3d |
| Day 5 | 2.0c |
| Day 7 | 2.1bc |
| Day 9 | 2.4bc |
| Day 11 | 2.5b |
| Day 13 | 3.2a |
3.4 TSS and TA
The results regarding TSS and TA showed significant differences among stages (P ≤ 0.05). The fruits at stage 4 showed the highest TSS as compared to other stages. The fruits at stage 1 showed the lowest TSS as compared to other stages.
Table 8: The TSS and TA values of passion fruit from different stages after storage. Means within parameter (column) with different small letters are significantly different (P≤0.05) as tested by Fisher’s protected LSD.
| Maturity stage | TSS | TA |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 14.12a | 4.57ab |
| Stage 2 | 14.75ab | 4.26a |
| Stage 3 | 14.83ab | 4.83ab |
| Stage 4 | 15.15b | 4.53ab |
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, the research showed that better harvesting management can be approached by using skin colour development as an indicator of passion fruit maturity. The right maturity harvest significantly stimulates the colour development as well as enhanced the organoleptic quality.
Funding: This work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam [Contract No. 71/2020/HĐ-QPTKHCN dated 03 September 2020].
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Anh Tram San, Le Minh Hung
– Sub-insitute of Agricultural Engineering and Postharvest Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
– Department of Biotechnology, HUTECH Institute of Applied Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Effects of Different Maturity Stages on the Quality of Purple Passion Fruit
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Keywords: passion fruit, colour, maturity, quality.
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