Conservação pós-colheita de carambola sob refrigeração com recobrimento de biofilme de gelatina e PVC.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the Star fruit post-harvest preservation with coating of gelatin and PVC. For this, starfruit cultivar 'sweet Giant' were harvested at physiological maturity, transported to the Postharvest Laboratory of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid being selected as maturation, sanitized, dried and separated into three groups for the implementation of coatings: the fruits were coanting individually with a film solution of gelatin to 10% with 1% glycerol as plasticizer, covered four fruits with flexible film of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) of 15μm per tray and control (without coating). The fruits were stored at 10 ± 1 ° C and 85-90% RH, valued at five-day intervals for 20 days as the mass loss, peel color, flesh firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and ascorbic acid. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial 3 x 5, with four replications of three fruits. The PVC coating was more efficient in minimizing the mass loss of Star fruit fruit during cold storage. While the biofilm provided the maintenance of green color of the fruit for a longer period of time. An increase in the ascorbic acid content and decrease in firmness of fruit with storage time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]