Efecto de la temperatura en la fruta de limón sutil (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) almacenado en distintos periodos de tiempo.

Abstract

CITRUS FRUITS ARE FRUIT TREES THAT OCCUPY AN OUTSTANDING PLACE COMPARED TO OTHER FRUIT TREES, DUE TO THEIR ECONOMIC AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE, THEY ARE GROWN IN MORE THAN 140 COUNTRIES, PRIMARILY IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL AREAS. IN THE LEMON, THE QUALITY OF THE FRUIT PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE AT THE MOMENT OF COMMERCIALIZATION, FOR THIS REASON THE METHODS FOR ITS CONSERVATION AND STORAGE MUST BE CORRECTLY EXECUTED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE RANGES ON THE SUBTLE LEMON FRUIT (CITRUS AURANTIFOLIA SWINGLE) STORED IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME, IN TWO LOCATIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF MANABÍ. IN THE PRESENT INVESTIGATION, A RANDOMIZED BLOCK DESIGN (DBCA) WAS USED, IN A 4X3 FACTORIAL ARRANGEMENT, GIVING 4 TEMPERATURE LEVELS (10, 12, 14 AND 26°C-AMBIENT TEMPERATURE) AND 3 STORAGE PERIODS (9, 12 AND 15 DAYS) OF THE FRUIT. THIS DESIGN WAS USED IN TWO SITES (AYACUCHO AND CALCETA). WITH A TOTAL OF 12 TREATMENTS PER LOCATION WITH 4 REPETITIONS, GENERATING AS A RESULT 200 FRUITS FROM EACH EXPERIMENTAL UNIT, WITH A TOTAL OF 800 FRUITS PER LOCATION. AS A RESULT, IT WAS OBTAINED THAT THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGES OF SURVIVAL WERE OBTAINED IN FRUITS STORED AT 9 DAYS SUBJECTED TO TEMPERATURES OF 10, 12 AND 14°C, HIGHER TEMPERATURES (26 °C) CAUSED A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF SURVIVAL IN FRUITS, IN RELATION TO THE QUALITY VARIABLES OF THE SUBTLE LEMON, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE HIGHEST VALUES OCCURRED AFTER 9 DAYS OF STORAGE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 14°C.