The effects of three different densities of PVC film (15, 20 and 30 µm) were investigated for loquat conservation during storage at 3 ± 2ºC and 85 ± 3% RH for fifty days, by physical-chemical parameters analysis. There was a decrease in total titratable acidity, in all treatments during storage. The treatments PVC 20 and 30 were the most efficient for reduction of fresh fruit mass losses. The highest total sugar and sucrose contents were obtained in treatments PVC 20 and 30. However, during the early days of storage, there was no hydrolysis of sucrose and neither significant decrease of glucose. During storage, it was observed an increase in pectin solubility with a reduction in the total pectin. Furthermore, the PVC30 treatment exhibited the smaller soluble pectin contents. There was, during the storage, a smaller sugar hydrolysis in PVC 20 and 30, in comparison with another treatments. However the PVC 20 treatment economically showed to be the most indicated for post-harvest conservation of loquat when used for storage in a period of 50 days.
Loquat; postharvest; storage; PVC
