Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Andrei Florin TABACU, Ioana Mihaela MIHĂLCIOIU, Luis OLTEANU, Ana Cornelia BUTCARU, Florin STĂNICĂ
Pawpaw or Northern banana (Asimina triloba L. Dunal), is part of the Annonaceae family, although it is a temperate fruit tree species. The pawpaw fruit is an exciting new food option for people looking for new, balanced food choices. One hundred grams of pawpaw pulp delivers 80 calories and contains .2 g of proteins and .2 g of total fat. Studies have shown that during ripening, loss of firmness is extremely rapid. This trait may be the biggest obstacle to developing a broader market, as handling without injury is difficult. Cold storage of pawpaw seems limited to four weeks at 4°C. Cold storage for longer than four weeks caused cold injury symptoms such as black discoloration, rapid loss of firmness, impaired respiration, tissue acidification, decreased antioxidant content, reduced volatile ester production, and development of off-flavor volatile compounds. This paper aims to review pawpaw ripening and postripening characteristics under local conditions.
[Read full article] [Citation]
