Postharvest characteristics of two cultivars of cauliflower

Abstract

The cauliflower has a great economic importance, especially for small producers, and it turns out to be a profitable crop in small areas. However, at postharvest period it is difficult to store it at a given room temperature due to sweating and a heavy breathing process, which leads to a discoloration of the inflorescence. Thus, the current study aimed to characterize the postharvest storage of cauliflower hybrids Snow Mystique and Graffiti kept at room temperature corresponding to an air temperature of 20 ± 2oC and a relative humidity (RH) of 75%. Evaluations were made every three days during a period of 12 days of storage. The parameters studied were percentage of weight loss in fresh weight terms, firmness of stem, soluble solids, pH and measurable acidity. By evaluating the results, it was concluded that the cauliflower is not supposed to be stored at an air temperature of 20 ± 2oC and a 75% RH for more than three days, since the inflorescence presented a high water loss through the transpiration process under the environmental conditions in study.

Keywords

• Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
• quality
• storage