Adainoo Bezalel, Crowell Brendan, Thomas Andrew L, Lin Chung-Ho, Cai Zhen, Byers Patrick, Gold Michael, Krishnaswamy Kiruba
Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States.
Department of Biomedical, Biological and Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States.
Front Nutr. 2022 Oct 18;9:936192. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.936192. eCollection 2022.
Pawpaw ( [L.] Dunal) is an underutilized fruit native to North America. The fruit has a short shelf life, and browns and softens rapidly after harvesting. These characteristics present a challenge to the advancement of pawpaw as an economically viable specialty crop. This study evaluated the physical characteristics of frozen fruits from eight cultivars of the pawpaw fruit to establish the processing potential of pawpaw fruits. The results show that freeze-thaw cycle may have influenced the peel thickness, peel color, and pulp color of the fruits. Fruits of the Susquehanna cultivar had the highest fruit weight and pulp weight, making them potentially the most suitable for pulp processing. The pawpaw fruits had almost neutral pH ranging between 6.07 ± 0.21 and 6.47 ± 0.11, which could contribute to the rapid browning on exposure to air since an acidic pH is important for slowing enzymatic browning. To aid pawpaw juice extraction, enzymatic treatments may be necessary to increase the juice yield from the pulp. Overleese fruits may be the best for pawpaw juice production. These findings can aid in the selection of processing equipment and guide processors in their efforts to utilize pawpaw fruits to avoid postharvest and post-processing losses.
木瓜（[L.]杜纳尔）是一种原产于北美的未得到充分利用的水果。这种水果保质期短，采收后很快就会变褐并软化。这些特性对将木瓜发展成为一种具有经济可行性的特色作物构成了挑战。本研究评估了八个木瓜品种冷冻果实的物理特性，以确定木瓜果实的加工潜力。结果表明，冻融循环可能影响了果实的果皮厚度、果皮颜色和果肉颜色。萨斯奎哈纳品种的果实具有最高的果实重量和果肉重量，使其可能最适合用于果肉加工。木瓜果实的pH值几乎呈中性，介于6.07±0.21和6.47±0.11之间，这可能导致其暴露在空气中时迅速褐变，因为酸性pH值对于减缓酶促褐变很重要。为了便于木瓜汁的提取，可能需要进行酶处理以提高果肉的出汁率。奥弗利斯品种的果实可能最适合用于生产木瓜汁。这些发现有助于加工设备的选择，并指导加工者努力利用木瓜果实，以避免采后和加工后损失。
