Fruits of 'umbu-caja' (Spondias sp.) are widely consumed fresh or processed, due to their appreciated sensorial characteristics, presenting great perspectives for cultivation and marketing. However, postharvest quality evaluation of fruits of access occurring in areas is needed seeking to identify material of interest for the industry or fresh consumption, as well as to provide support for breeding programs. In this study quality of fruits harvested at the commercial maturity of eight access, from municipality of Areia in 'Brejo paraibano' was evaluated, as for the physical and physicochemical characteristics. The mean fresh mass for fruits from all evaluated access was 28.82 g and the pulp yield was 68.5%. Based on principal component analysis, the A2 access was highlighted by presenting higher contents of soluble solids (12.9%) and reducing sugars (10.9%), lower titratable acidity (0.94% of citric acid), and higher SS/TA ratio (13.75), indicating that access can be a reliable alternative for fresh fruit market and processing.
postharvest; physical characteristics; physicochemical characteristics; identity and quality standards
