Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the new postharvest quality of papaya tree hybrids grown in a region of semi-arid climate, aiming to find the most suitable for marketing as new cultivars. It was conducted in a commercial farm in the municipality of Mossoró-RN, an experiment in a randomized block design with 14 treatments (12 hybrids in testing, plus two more cultivars already marketed, Tainung No. 1 and Sunrise Solo), with 4 replications. The fruits were harvested during the second maturation stage (fruit with up to 25% yellow skin) and taken to the Postharvest Laboratory of UFERSA, where they were accommodated at room temperature (22 ± 1°C and 60 ± 5% RH) until they reaches the fifth maturation stage (fully ripe fruit, with 76-100% of yellow skin), and analyzed for their physical, physical-chemical and biochemical traits. There was great variability among hybrids for the evaluated quality characteristics. However, the hybrids showed characteristics such as mass and dimensions of fruits, vitamin C, soluble solids, pulp thickness that fall under the classification for commercialization both in the domestic and international markets, with the exception of the hybrids H36.45, H36.56, and H45.56, which have yellow pulp, which is not favored in the consumer market.

Key words: Carica papaya L., vitamin C, soluble solid, firmness of fruit.