Influence of harvest times on yellow passion fruit physicochemical characteristics

Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) is mainly commercialized for in natura consumption. However, fruits are equally important for industrial purposes in the production of whole juice, concentrated juice, and frozen pulp. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate fruit physicochemical characteristics of yellow passion fruit genotypes cultivated in the Federal District, Brazil and harvested at three distinct harvest times. The experiment consisted of a complete randomized block design with four replications, 14 genotypes, three harvest times (February, March, and April), and eight plants per plot. Fruits harvested in February presented greater pulp weight and total soluble solids to titratable acidity ratio (TSS/TA). The highest pulp yield was observed in March, and the greatest fruit longitudinal length was obtained in April. Fruit weight and equatorial diameter, peel thickness and weight, number of seeds per fruit, pulp pH, and ash content presented greater values for fruits harvested in April. In contrast, greater contents of TSS and reducing sugar were observed in pulps from fruits harvested in February. Genotype AP-01 stood out for its greatest fruit weight, fruit equatorial diameter, and number of seeds per fruit. AR-02, FP-01, and Vermelho Ingaí presented the greatest pulp yield, pulp weight, and TSS content, respectively. The genotypes evaluated in this study are suitable for industrial purposes due to the oval-shaped fruits with low pH (2.38 to 2.90) and high TA (3.50 to 5.60%) values. Peel thickness values were high, indicating adequate conditions for long distance transportation