The present study reports on the potential of the use of the tomography of magnetic resonance, as a non-destructive method, to evaluate the effects of the mechanical injuries in guava fruits. Fruits were harvested at mature stage of Paluma and Pedro Sato cultivars. In impact injury, fruits were allowed to fall freely from a height of 1.2 m, subjecting them to two impacts on opposites sides of the equatorial portion of the fruit. In compression injury, fruits were submitted to a weight of 29.4 N for 15 min. For the cut injury, two longitudinal cuts were made, 30 mm in length and 2 mm deep. Fruits were stored under ambient conditions (22±2 °C, 40 % RH). Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of intact guava were acquired using the Varian 2 Tesla tomography. Images were obtained from the hydrogen (H¹) of the water content and in each fruit was obtained symmetrical image from the center of the fruit. The magnetic resonance image ( MRI) technique was shown to be an effective tool in the detection of internal injuries of fruits. The physical stress caused by the impact produced an internal collapse of fruit locules (internal bruising), taking to the loss of the cellular integrity and the consequent liquefaction of the placentary tissues. The Pedro Sato cultivar showed a larger susceptibility to impact injury that the 'Paluma'. The compression injury became more evident in the external pericarpo of the fruit, for both cultivars. The cut injury took the lignification of the tissues in the injured place and superficial deformations due to the accentuated loss of fresh matter in the place of the lesion, evident in the sixth day of evaluation.
Psidium guajava; postharvest; mechanical injuries; NMR tomograph; internal bruising; Magnetic resonance image
