Postharvest behavior of camu-camu fruits based on harvesting time and nutraceutical properties

•The specie is still minimally explored for commercial agricultural activity in Brazil.•Bio compounds indicated the highest levels in the mature-green fruits.•Determining horticultural and physiological maturity of camu-camu fruit.•Nutraceutical content and sensory acceptance defines horticultural maturity.•Dual harvesting time for high value health markets and for traditional fresh markets.

This work aimed to evaluate the postharvest behavior of camu-camu fruits, harvested at 74; 81; 88; 102 and 116 days after anthesis (DAA). The fruits were collected nearly of the borders of Cauamé River located in the State of Roraima, Brazil. After harvest, the fruits were freeze-dried and kept at −20 °C for functional compounds analyzes at the Plant Bioactive & Bioprocessing Research Laboratory - TAMU/USA. Fresh fruits were used for the physicochemical analysis, performed at Food Technology Laboratory/UFRR/Brazil, keeping the fruits under cold storage at 15 ± 1 °C and 95 ± 3% of RH. The harvest performed at 88 DAA resulted in the highest shelf-life period, up to 10 days, while premature harvests, performed at 74 and 81 DAA, provided to the fruits only 5 days of shelf-life. In this sense, fruits harvested at 88 DAA presented the highest values for the total phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid contents, as for the ORAC and DPPH assays, adequate enzymatic pattern, and the best results for total and reducing sugars, total and soluble pectins and starch contents. However, fruits harvested at 102 DAA were more appropriate for fresh consumption according to the sensory analysis, showing as well, high levels of the main physicochemical characteristics and a satisfactory shelf-life period (up to 8 days). Fruits harvested at 116 DDA, despite adequate sensory results, showed only 6 days of shelf-life under cold storage conditions.

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