Shelf life of gilo fruits treated with ethylene

Abstract

Gilo fruits are appreciated for their bitter taste and bright green color. However, they become yellowish a few days after harvest, losing commercial value. It is known that the ethylene is responsible for the degradation of chlorophyll and induction of other responses in fruits sensitive to the hormone. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of sensitivity and responses of gilo fruits treated with ethylene. Fruits were treated with 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 and 1000 ?L L-1 ethephon plus a control treatment with water. The fruits were evaluated for the fresh weight loss, color component a*, and chlorophyll, total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, and starch contents. The fruits treated with ethephon at concentrations greater than 0.1 ?L L-1 had a shelf life of two days, because they showed alterations in their color resulting from an increase in component a* (red color) values. The application of ethephon reduces the chlorophyll content but does not influence the loss of mass and the carbohydrate content in the fruits.