ISHS Acta Horticulturae 811: VI International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal
FRUIT CHARACTERIZATION OF A SELENICEREUS C.F. SETACEUS NATIVE FROM BREJO MICRO REGION, PARAIBA STATE, BRAZIL |
| Authors: | L.B.V. Torres, S.M. Silva, L.P. Felix |
| Keywords: | Cactaceae, wild specimens, fruit quality, ascorbic acid, polyphenols, pitaya |
| Abstract:
In the semiarid lands of Brazilian Northeast there are a remarkably high number of plants of the Cactaceae family, several of those are rather poorly documented specimens. Some of those are presumed as native, although it is generally recognized that the taxonomy of the fruit bearing Cactaceae are very difficult. Species delimitation is currently based mainly on fruit characters and geographical origin. S. setaceus (Salm-Dick) Wild has been referred to the Southeastern and Central Western Brazil; however it has not been reported for Brazilian Northeast. Therefore, studies aiming at characterizing fruits of these wild species are important in order to provide data that report its quality and potential for human consumption, and further helps its identification. This study describes the physical and physical chemical features of ripen fruits of a native Selenicereus c.f. setaceus collected from the Brejo microregion, Caatinga, of Paraíba State, semiarid region. Fruit was oblong shaped, reddish in color, presenting clusters of spines distributed on its surface. The means physical characteristics for the fruit were weight of 70.25g, length of 5.7 cm of length, diameter of 4.62 cm, and 57.25% of pulp yield. The pulp was greenish in color, containing small and numerous crispy and black seeds. This seeded pulp presented 13.03% of soluble solids, 0.07% of titratable acidity (citric acid), 5.16 of pH. The ascorbic acid content was 30.45 mg.100g-1, total polyphenols of the endocarp 22.89 mg.100g-1, and total carotenoids 10.64 μg.100g-1. The objective color of the rind was 43.7 for L, 39.4 for a*, and 13.5 for b*, highlighting the reddish color. The sensorial evaluation (hedonic scale ranging from 1 to 9) showed that around 70% of judges found the pulp with very good taste, aroma, and color. | |
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