Multivariate selection index of acerola genotypes for fresh consumption based on fruit physicochemical attributes

Abstract

Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is one of the most important fruit produced in the São Francisco Valley, a Semi-arid region in the Northeast of Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical quality of thirty-ve acerola genotypes produced during two growing seasons in a Semi-arid region and to identify the best ones with potential for fresh consumption based on a multivariate selection index. Fruit of each genotype were harvested during two growing seasons at the maturity stage red-ripe, characterized by full red skin color. After harvest, the fruit were evaluated for diameter, mass, esh rmness, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA ratio, ascorbic acid content and skin color. A multivariate selection index (SI) was applied for scoring and ranking the genotypes for fresh consumption based on red-ripe fruit physicochemical quality. According to the results, all physicochemical attributes had high variability among genotypes. The SI was a powerful tool for identifying genotypes with high potential for fresh consumption, since it allowed selecting genotypes with multiple desirable traits. In the rst and second growing seasons, the SI identi ed the genotypes PROG 052 (SI = 76.1 and 78.9), BRS Rubra (SI = 74.1 and 99.5), Cabocla (SI = 72.3 and 70.7), Costa Rica (SI = 61.2 and 73.8) and PROG 069 (SI = 68.1 and 72.4) as the most promising ones for fresh consumption due to the presence of multiple desirable traits such as high diameter, mass, esh rmness, SS, and SS/AT ratio, as well as lower acidity. IntroductionAcerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a tropical super-fruit due to its high vitamin C content that exceeds 100 times the contents observed in oranges and lemons (Prakash and Baskaran, 2018). The worldwide cultivation of acerola takes place from South Texas, Mexico, Central America and Northern regions in the South America, as well as some regions of Southeast Asia, specially India (Assis et al., 2008;Hanamura et al., 2008). Currently, Brazil is the largest producer of acerola, with several cultivation areas in the Northeastern region, where the environmental conditions enable three to four harvests per year (Alves et al., 1999).The production of acerolas in Brazil is intended for the fresh fruit market and/or processing industry. Genotypes intended for fresh consumption are characterized by larger and rmer fruit, with higher soluble solids content and lower levels of organic acids, which guarantees the sweetness desired by consumers (Hoehn et al., 2005). On the other hand, genotypes intended for the processing industry must have higher levels of ascorbic acid, which is one of the main forms of processed products. Acerola can also be marketed as frozen pulp, concentrate, juice, ice cream, gelatin, soft drinks, nectar, jelly, gum, preserve, yogurts and sodas (Delva and Schneider, 2013;Mezadri et al., 2006).The quality of each acerola genotype is highly dependent on environmental conditions such as temperature, precipitation and sunlight, as well as on crop management practices such as ir...

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Promising acerola (Malpighia emarginata Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) genotypes with high fruit quality for different purposes

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