Guavas are very perishable fruits. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of several carnauba based waxes in the postharvest life of Pedro Sato guavas under room conditions. Five commercial waxes were used: Citrosol AK (18%), Citrosol M (10%), Fruit wax (18 a 21%), Meghwax ECF-100 (30%) e Cleantex wax (18,5 a 20,5%). The waxes were applied manualy in the rate of 0.15 to 0.20mL of wax per fruit. Control fruits were not treated. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments, 4 replicates per treatment and 5 fruits as experimental unit. Guavas were evaluated at harvest and at every 2 days until the 6th day after treatments. Waxing had little effect on total soluble solids, total titratable acidity and ascorbic acid contents. However, the waxes were efficient in delaying ripening and reducing mass loss and decay incidence. The Meghwax ECF-100 shows potential for its use in guavas, although it needs to be tested in lower concentrations to avoid ripening problems.
Psidium guajava; storage; modified atmosphere
