Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 11. Harvest & Processing
To control fungal rots, George et al. (1987) suggested dipping the fruits in
benomyl suspension (0.5 g a.i./L) or guazatine solution (0.5 g a.i./L) at 50 to
52°C for 5 minutes. Prochloraz solution (0.125 g a.i./L) for 1 minute at 25°C
also gives good control. Immersion treatments longer than 5 minutes induce
skin injury, due to the chemical concentrations and interactions. Seemingly,
anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloesosporoides var. minor), Phomopsis
annonacearum and Rhizopus stolonifer are also avoided with fungicidal
treatment, but more studies with these diseases are necessary (George et al.,
1987). A specific treatment for sugar apple consists of rinsing in chlorinated
water (100 ppm) at 10 to 12°C for 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes in less
chlorinated water (20 ppm). To remove chlorine residues, the rinse is
followed by immersion or aspersion with water containing 2 ppm of chlorine
and a fungicide (Alves et al., 1997). For transport to distant markets, Babu et
al. (1990) suggested the immersion of sugar apple fruits in 500 ppm of
bevestin and placing them in polyethylene bags containing potassium
permanganate. However, it must be pointed out that no chemical treatment
can be a general recommendation, as each country has its own regulations
about the chemicals allowed for each fruit species. Therefore the country's
agricultural legislation must be clearly understood before the use of any
product reported in the literature.
In case of doubt and considering the softness and sensitivity of annona fruits
to mechanical damage, very careful handling in non-contaminated
environments can avoid the use of chemical treatments. Gentle cleaning with
compressed air and wrapping the fruit in paper or plastic film impregnated
with potassium permanganate are good recommendations for carefully
handled fruits (Alves et al., 2001).
11.4 Storage
Annona fruits are very perishable and have a short post-harvest life; therefore
they require efficient storage techniques (Coronel, 1994). Optimal storage
conditions are 15 to 16°C with high relative humidity (RH) and even then
storage should not exceed about 2 weeks (George et al., 1987).
Some cherimoya cultivars can be held for 7 to 10 days at 17°C, however,
normal ripening usually occurs between 15 to 30°C. Fuster and Prestamo
(1980) suggested 10°C and 85% RH as the best storage conditions for the
cultivars ‘Campas’ and ‘Fino de Jete’, and the optimal storage time ranges
from 15 to 21 days. Cherimoya fruits stored at 20°C presented a rapid
134