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Influence of postharvest incubation temperatures on the artificial ripening kinetics and quality of date palm fruits at Bisir stage
Abstract
Climate change significantly delays the natural maturing process of the Bisir-stage date palm fruits on the tree. This problem causes high postharvest losses. In order to combat it, the unripe Bisir fruits are ripened using the traditional methods such as open-sun drying, curing and solar tunnel drying. These methods are however constrained by temperature and humidity variation. This study aimed to develop safe laboratory method for the artificial ripening of unripe Bisir fruits. An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of different incubation temperatures (40, 45, and 50°C) on the ripening of unripe Bisir fruits from five commercial date palm cultivars: Khalas, Helali, Barhi, Ruziez, and Sheshi. The results showed that fruits incubated at 45 and 50°C ripened within three days without loss of quality. Measurements of fruit and pulp weight, size, pH, color, firmness, moisture content, total soluble solids, sugar composition, phenol content, and tannin levels were comparable to those of naturally ripened Tamer fruits. Therefore, the findings suggest that incubation at 45 or 50°C provides an effective method for artificial ripening of unripe date palm Bisir fruits
