ABSTRACT
The commercial cultivation of pomegranate plants has been growing throughout Brazil and has attracted the interest of northeastern fruit producers. However, for the establishment of pomegranate in the in natura fruit market, it is necessary to find out the refrigeration temperature most suitable for commercializing the product in distant markets. This study aimed to characterize the quality of ‘Molar’ pomegranate, during the storage of in natura fruits under different refrigeration temperatures (6 ºC, 10 ºC and 12 ºC). A completely split-plot randomized design, with four replications and four fruits per plot, was used. It was concluded that ‘Molar’ pomegranates stored at 12 ºC, for 36 days, followed by two days at 24 ºC and 43 ± 5 % RH, remain satisfactory for in natura commercialization, without affecting their biometric quality attributes and with small losses in their physicochemical properties. The temperatures of 6 ºC and 10 ºC may also be used for the refrigerated storage of the ‘Molar’ pomegranate, but with a smaller volume of juice per fruit.
KEY-WORDS:
Punica granatum L.; shelf life; food preservation
