Postharvest physiology and technology of Spondias purpurea L. and S. mombin L

• Spondias diversity and their potential as a functional food source are discussed.
• Key post-harvest physiological and biochemical changes are presented.
• Current postharvest technologies for S. purpurea and S. mombin are mentioned.
• Key physiological disorders, and pre and post-harvest diseases, are addressed.
• Germplasm banks for the cultivation of Spondias in poor soils are proposed.

Spondias purpurea and S. mombin (Anacardiaceae) are tropical species native to Mexico with a distribution that spans all of tropical America, Central America, Peru and Brazil. The fruits are consumed fresh or processed and enjoy good consumer acceptance because of their taste, which ranges from sour to sour-sweet, and in the case of S. purpurea because of the diversity of colouration of its epicarp. All of these characteristics suggest a high commercial potential for Spondias in Mexico and other regions of tropical America, as well as in export markets. Despite this, the marketing of fruits is mainly local due to their high perishability. The most common postharvest pests and diseases are fruit flies and fruit-rot fungi; however a limited number of conservation methods are used because of the scarce knowledge concerning the postharvest physiological behaviour of Spondias fruit. This document therefore, aims to provide relevant information about the biology and postharvest technology of S. purpurea and S. mombin published by other authors over the last 50 years, as well as experimental data obtained by our research group that will provide a useful reference for future work on the postharvest handling of these genetic resources.