Refrigerated storage of blackberry cultivar ‘BRS Cainguá’ harvested at different ripeness stages

Abstract

Blackberries have a short post-harvest conservation period, making it necessary to optimize harvest and storage conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of refrigerated storage and maturation stage on the physicochemical quality of ‘BRS Cainguá’ blackberries, produced in an organic system. Blackberries from an experimental orchard, were harvested at three ripeness stages (RS), with RS1 being fruits with 100% red skin; RS2 skin 50% red and 50% black; and EM3 100% black skin. The samples were stored in a cold chamber at 4±0.5ºC and 90-95% RH for 12 days. The evaluations were carried out after 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage, for: weight loss (WL), soluble solids (SS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), ratio (SS/TA) and color parameters. Blackberries harvested in RS3 had the highest SS content, lowest TA and the highest SS/TA ratio and pH. During storage, TA and WL showed decreasing and increasing linear responses, respectively, regardless of the RS of the fruits. Harvesting based on the skin color of ‘BRS Cainguá’ blackberries influences the physicochemical quality and postharvest conservation. Fruits harvested with 100% black skin, have the best quality and are the most suitable for subsequent refrigerated storage.