It has been reported by orchards from the north of Espírito Santo state that 'Gran Golden' papaya loses firmness faster than 'Golden'. The goal of this work was to evaluate the action of cellulase and β-galactosidase related to the softening on papaya. The fruits have been stored at 25ºC and firmness and enzymes activities were daily analyzed during 8 days. The results were submitted to correlation and regression analysis. The activity of cellulase and β-galactosidase had increased for both cultivars. The 4th postharvest day showed that 'Golden' firmness was 6.18 while 'Gran Golden' was 31.1 N. Fruit softening in 'Gran Golden' was intense and the fruit was very soft at ripe stage. These works show that hydrolytic enzymes cellulase and β-galactosidase act differently in the softening process in 'Golden'and 'Gran Golden'papaya. The flesh firmness on 'Gran Golden' is related to the increased activity of these enzymes. These results can help to choose which cultivar to produce in relation to shelf-life and fruit quality at commercialization places.
Pulp firmness; Cell wall-modifying enzymes; Carica papaya L
