Abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the appropriate postharvest storage temperature for Pouteria caimito Radlk., to prolong its storage life, and more broadly to expand the market for Pouteria caimito. The effects of different storage temperatures on the postharvest physiology and storage quality of P. caimito were studied by determining the main quality indices and physiological indices of fruit samples stored at 5, 10, 15 or 20 ℃ after harvest. The results showed that cold storage could maintain the quality of P. caimito to a certain extent, but chilling injury (CI) symptoms, characterized by pitting and water-soaked appearance of the fruit surface and peel browning, appeared after three days of storage at 5 ℃. Compared with the other three storage temperatures, storage at 10 ℃ could maintain higher levels of fruit hardness, total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C (VC) and total sugar, and lower respiratory intensity and cell membrane permeability. Compared with 20 ℃, storage at 10 ℃ could inhibit the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, thereby delaying the senescence and browning of P. caimito. Therefore, 10 ℃ was the appropriate storage temperature for P. caimito. The results of this study will provide a theoretical basis for postharvest quality maintenance of P. caimito.

Key words: Pouteria caimito; postharvest physiology; storage quality; cold storage