Physiology and Postharvest Quality of Palm Sprouts (Opuntia fícus-indica) Harvested at Different Times

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the physiological and postharvest quality characteristics of the palm (Opuntia fícus-indica) sprouts harvested at different times.

Experimental Design: The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design, consisting of three palm cultivars (Gigante, Clone IPA 20 and Redonda) and eight harvest times (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 hours).

Place and Duration of the Study: Experiment was carried out in the experimental area of the Agri-Food Science and Technology Center of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Pombal, Paraíba, from November to January 2016.

Methodology: The experiment was carried out in a completely randomised design (CRD), in a factorial scheme of 8x3x3, having 8 harvest times (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 hours), 3 cactus cultivars ("Gigante", "Clone IPA 20" and “Redonda") and 3 replicates, belonging to the family Opuntia.

Results: Sprouts of "Gigante" presented the highest values of titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and chlorophyll. The average titration value of 0.63 (% malic acid), 11.2 mg ascorbic acid , and 1320.8 mg chlorophyll 100-1 of fresh mass, were observed in 3, 6 and 9th hours of harvest. After these periods, a significant loss of these compounds were recorded.

Conclusion: ‘Gigante’ cultivar presented the best performance for the evaluated parameters. Palm sprouts showed a high values of titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll and phenolic compounds. Different harvesting schedules influenced the quality of these parameters. Based on the physiological characteristics evaluated, it has been revealed that the best harvest periods are 3, 6 and 9 hours.