Plums quickly lose the fruit quality, during postharvest which makes imperative to optimize harvest and storage conditions. This work, had the objective to evaluate the effects of stages of maturation and temperature fluctuation on the postharvest quality of cold stored plums, 'Amarelinha'. Fruits were selected at 3 stages of maturation and stored using the following treatments: T1) 30 days at 0ºC; T2) 10 days at 0ºC + 5 days at 7ºC + 15 days at 0ºC; T3) 10 days at 0ºC + 10 days at 7ºC + 10 days at 0ºC; T4) 5 days at 0ºC + 5 days at 7ºC + 20 days at 0ºC; T5) 5 days at 0ºC + 10 days at 7ºC + 15 0ºC. The RH was 90-95%. Three days after the fruits were taken out of the cold storage, they were evaluated for weight loss, color, firmness, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TTA), TSS/TTA ratio, incidence of rotten and/or internal browning and sensorial characteristics. The results show that temperature fluctuation reduces the cold storage preservation capacity of plums 'Amarelinha'; harvested at green and mid maturity stages, can be stored up to 30 days at 0ºC and 90-95% RH.
Prunus salicina; crop; refrigeration; sensorial analysis
