Guava is a highly perishable fruit. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage techniques could extend its shelf life while maintaining the quality of fruit. The aim of this work was to determine the best CA conditions for the storage of 'Paluma' guava. The experiment consisted in a randomized block design with the follow treatments: [1] 20.9 kPa O2 + 0.03 kPa CO2 (CS - control); [2] 1.0 kPa O2 + 2.0 kPa CO2; [3] 2.0 kPa O2 + 2.0 kPa CO2; [4] 3.0 kPa O2 + 2.0 kPa CO2; and [5] 3.0 kPa O2 + 4.0 kPa CO2. Fruit were stored at 8°C (±0.2) at a relative humidity of 95% (±2.0). After 28 days of storage the fruits were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics. The best CA storage conditions for 'Paluma' guava is 1 and 2 kPa O2 combined with 2 kPa CO2. These conditions reduced the degradation of the peel green color, loss of firmness and acidity, and keeps the flesh color more effectively, but the high occurrence of decay during self-life is the limiting factor of the storage period.
Psidium guajava L.; storage; quality; oxygen; carbon dioxide
