Mexican plum (Spondias purpurea L.) moisture sorption properties

Abstract

Fresh fruits, no matter where they come from, are perishable products due to their high moisture content. Some fruits are protected with an external thick peel or film that allows them to remain fresh for a long time if they are appropriately handled. However, other fruits, even though they have a thick peel, have very short growing periods. This is the case of prickly pear, mamey, litchi, pitaya or pitahaya, black and yellow sapote, and Mexican plum, just to mention a few. Pitaya or pitahaya and Mexican plum possess a delicate peel that may allow the fruit to remain fresh for a very short time, after which the peel can become dry or be broken due to dryness or overripening. All of these fruits grow in Mexico because of the microclimates that exist throughout the country. Therefore, to take advantage of these fruits that last for a short time or because of overproduction, it is necessary to apply or use conventional and/or new processing technologies to deliver new or processed fruit products to domestic and overseas consumers.