It was aimed to evaluate physical and physico-chemical changes during soursop 'Morada' maturation at room temperature and related them to respiration rate and ethylene production. Fruits harvested at physiological maturity were stored (23,4 ± 1,1ºC and 81,8 ± 10,6% RH) and evaluated at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 days, according to: respiration rate (RS), ethylene production (ET), fresh weight lost, skin and pulp color, firmness, pH, total titrable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS) and total soluble sugars (TS). The experimental design was a completely randomized one with four replications. There was a fast increase in RS at two days that resulted in the first peak (197,60mg CO2·kg-1·h-1) that was followed by a decay and a lag phase. When that phase rad finished, it began the climateric raise (climateric peak = 298,82mg CO2·kg-1·h-1). ET was detected only when the first respiratory peak occurred and reached the maximum at the fourth day. The skin color became bright green while it was observed a decrease just on lightness in the pulp. There was a coincidence among the first increase on RS, the peak of ET and the most significant changes on firmness, TAA, TSS content and TS content. During this period, firmness reduced from 60 to 0,9N and TTA increased from 0,18 to 0,88% of citric acid.
annonaceae; ethylene; maturation; respiration
