Características físico-químicas de frutos de umbuzeiro (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Câm.) em diferentes estágios de maturação

Abstract

The umbu tree is a native fruit species of the Brazilian semi-arid region with economic, social, and cultural importance, especially in the Northeast. The fruit is consumed both fresh and processed, being transformed into various products. Understanding the physicochemical changes during the ripening and maturation process makes it possible to identify the ideal harvest point and determine the best use of the fruits for the market. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of umbu fruits at four maturation stages defined by peel color, ranging from green to fully yellow. The study was conducted in the postharvest room of the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory (BIOVEG) at the Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Campus of the Federal University of Alagoas. Sixty healthy fruits were used, evenly distributed among the four maturation stages, with three replications of five fruits each. The physicochemical analyses included whole fruit weight and the weight of its constituent parts (peel, pulp, and seed), as well as pH, soluble solids content (SS), titratable acidity (TA), and the SS/TA ratio. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and means were compared using Tukey’s test at a 5% probability level. Physical analysis indicated uniformity in fruit weight and structural components among the evaluated treatments. No statistically significant differences were found for pH (p = 0.1223), titratable acidity (p = 1.0000), or ratio (p = 0.1672) across the maturation stages. For soluble solids, although a slight tendency of increase was observed from fully green fruits (2.44 °Brix) to fully yellow fruits (2.62 °Brix), the difference was not significant at 5% (p = 0.0737), with all treatments belonging to the same homogeneous group according to Tukey’s test. It is concluded that, under the conditions of this study, the analyzed physicochemical variables do not differ significantly among fruits with peel color ranging from green to fully yellow, indicating physical and chemical stability during the maturation and ripening process of umbu fruits.