This work aimed to evaluate the effect of different temperature storage and a initial treatment at 40 ºC for 24 hours, to preserve 'Perola' pineapples. Pineapples were harvested at "pintado" ripening stage, heated and stored under environmental condition (25 ºC and 75-80% RH) or refrigerated during 17 days at 8 ºC or 14 ºC. After this period the pineapples were transferred to environmental condition. The evaluations were carried out at the beginning of the experiment (day 0) and after 1, 5, 9, 13 or 17 days. The cold stored fruits were transferred to a ambient condition and evaluation were at carried out 21, 25, or 29 days. An entirely randomized experimental design was used, in a factorial scheme of 2x3x9 to analyze the following factors: heat and non heated fruits, three different storage temperatures and different evaluation periods. The pineapples were evaluation for fresh weight loss; external color; of the resistance rind, stem and pulp; pulp yeld; incidence of decay and overall appearance, aswell as respiration rates. Fresh weight losses and skin and pulp resistance fruits stored under ambient condition were higher compared to cold stored fruit with variation of the skin color, from green to yellow as time went by. The fruits kept under cold condition had a shelf life of 29 days while the ones kept at 25 ºC were discarded after 17 days. Heat treated fruit showed the highest respiration rates, while pineapples kept at 8 ºC showed the lowest rates under refrigeration and ambient conditions.
Ananas comosus; refrigerated storage; heating; internal browning
