Post harvest conservation of “Tahiti” lime treated with 1-metylcyclopropene

Although ‘Tahiti’ lime is not a climateric fruit, ethylene is involved in degradation of the chlorophylls of the skin, and 1-MCP can be efficient in color and fruit quality conservation. With the objective of testing 1-MCP, a study was carried out with C2 coloration stadium fruits. The treatments consisted of exposure of the fruits to the concentrations of 0.0, 0.5 and 1.0 mg L-1 of 1-MCP, followed by storage at 24ºC for 20 days, with evaluations at five-day intervals. Linear increases for the scale of coloration of the skin, soluble solids (SS), and the ratio and quadratic increase for loss of fresh weight occurred in function of the time. The treatment with 1 mg L-1 of 1-MCP reduced the loss of green coloration of the skin, preventing the loss of mass and provoking an increase in pH of the juice. No significant variations in the SS or chlorophylls in function of the treatments with 1-MCP occurred. The major ratio was observed with 1 mg L-1, but it did not differ from the control