Post-harvest quality of squash fruits stored at low temperature

Abstract

The squash nigrum spinosum is one of the main genotypes that are commercialized in Mexico, the United States of America and Canada, with the Latin and Asian communities being the main consumers. Generally, the works reported in this species are focused on the genus virens levis, but there is very little information on the post-harvest behavior of genotype n. spinosum under refrigerated storage. For this, fruits were harvested in horticultural maturity and stored at room temperature (20 ±2 °C) and at low temperature (10 ±1 °C, 85% RH) for three periods of time (3, 6 and 9 weeks) with and without the application of 1-methylcyclopropene (0, 500 and 1 000 nL L-1) to reduce viviparism. The variables evaluated were humidity percentage, titratable acidity, SST (ºBrix), chlorophyll a and b content and total, content of total sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose), weight loss and percentage of viviparism. The results showed an average moisture content of 94%, with low SST content (4.5-5.2%) that remains unchanged during storage, a fructose and glucose content of 1.07% and 0.89% respectively, without the presence of sucrose. The fruits maintained their appearance characteristics with refrigerated storage for 3 weeks, but at 6 and 9 weeks, the dehydration of thorns was evident, although both doses of 1-MCP (500 and 1000 nL L-1) significantly reduced the viviparism, increased the susceptibility to the incidence of fungi mainly Fusarium sp.