POSTHARVEST STORAGE-TEMPERATURE AND FILM WRAP EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF CHAYOTE, SECHIUM EDULE SW

Chayote fruit quality deteriorates with storage. At 25 degrees C posth arvest storage, fruit lost 1.3% of its fresh weight per day compared w ith 0.5% day(-1) at 15 degrees C or 0.02% day(-1) at 10 degrees C. The rate of weight loss was 2-5 fold greater at 25 degrees C than at 15 d egrees C or 10 degrees C. During the five weeks of storage, unwrapped fruit lost over 40% of their fresh weight at 25 degrees C, 18.9% at 15 degrees C and 13.0% at 10 degrees C. The shrivelled appearance due to weight loss detracts from the utility, appeal and salability of the f ruits. Wrapping the fruit in a commercial grade polyvinyl chloride (PV C) film significantly reduced weight loss. The weight loss for the fiv e-week storage period of PVC wrapped fruit was 8.3% at 25 degrees C, 4 .0% at 15 degrees C and 1.3% at 10 degrees C. The best storage of frui ts was obtained with PVC film wrap at 10 degrees C. Firmness of the sk in (exocarp) and flesh (mesocarp) of the fruit remained relatively una ffected by storage at 10 degrees C-25 degrees C. An average skin firmn ess of an edible chayote fruit measured 22.1 +/- 2.7 N and the flesh 1 4.3 +/- 0.8 N. The firmness of the seed cotyledons within the fruit at 25 degrees C significantly increased with increasing duration of stor age. The increased cotyledon firmness was associated with enhanced spr outing at 25 degrees C in contrast to 15 degrees C or 10 degrees C.