Gabiroba (<italic>Campomanesia pubescens</italic>): Physicochemical and physiological characteristics of fruit during the development

Abstract

Among the fruit species found in the Cerrado biome of Brazil, Campomanesia pubescens stands out. It produces fruits with a sweet and sour taste, known as gabiroba, which are consumed fresh or processed. This study aimed to evaluate Campomanesia pubescens fruits from Campos das Vertentes – MG, Brazil, regarding their phenological and physicochemical characteristics throughout development. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design consisting of seven evaluation periods (9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, and 63 days post-anthesis), with 3 repetitions. The fruits harvested at each developmental stage were subjected to analyses of color, mass, longitudinal and transversal diameter, relative growth rate, respiration rate, firmness, soluble and total pectin, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and total sugars. The results obtained were subjected to analysis of variance, followed by polynomial regression at the 5% significance level, and grouped according to their similarities based on the Kohonen self-organizing map. Campomanesia pubescens fruits showed cumulative increases in longitudinal and transversal diameters and mass during the 63 days of development, displaying a simple sigmoidal growth pattern. The growth initiated after anthesis overlapped the maturation stage, extending until full ripening at 63 days of development. The fruits exhibited typical climacteric fruit respiration behavior. The Kohonen self-organizing map allowed for the more effective and intuitive identification of similarities and correlation trends.