ARS | Publication request: Relationship between skin color and some quality characteristics of exportable 'Hass' avocado fruits

Submitted to: Interamerican Society of Tropical Horticulture Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 26, 2007
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Mexico is the main ‘Hass’ avocado exporter in the world. More than 100,000 tons are exported every year being the U.S., Japan, the European Union, and Canada the main importer countries. Shipments to Canada containing fruits with blackening skin have been rejected since this characteristic is associated to low pulp firmness and short shelf life. The objective of this study was to determine the correlation between skin color of ‘Hass’ avocado fruits with quality characteristics of fruits recently packed for the export market. Fruits varying in skin color (turning black from 0 to 100 %; categories 1 to 5) were collected from two different packinghouses in Michoacan, Mexico. External color [lightness (L), a and b], pulp firmness, pulp color and dry matter content were measured for each fruit. Treatments were arranged in a factorial design with five replications. Significant differences were detected between packinghouses for external color, firmness and pulp color. Fruit skin color was significantly correlated to firmness (r = - 0.63) but not to dry matter content (r = 0.28). The low correlation between skin color and dry matter content could be due to the very high fruit dry matter content (33.8 to 38.5 %), compared to legal maturity (21.5%). At packing, the higher the percentage of black skin color, the lower the pulp firmness.