Passion Fruit

MATURITY & QUALITY

Maturity Indices

The amount of yellow or purple color on the fruit surface is used as a maturity index for fresh market passion fruits. In some cases fruits are allowed to fall and are collected from the ground for processing into juice concentrate, jam, and other products.

Quality Indices

• The fruit is a berry 3.5 to 7 cm wide and 4 to 12 cm long and has a moderately hard shell (3-10 mm thick), depending on cultivar. The edible portion is the fleshy, acidic pericarp together with the arils surrounding the seeds
• Fruit color may be purple or yellow
• Soluble solids content ranges between 14 and 18% and acidity ranges from 3 to 5% in the pulp
• Moisture loss during ripening may be large enough to cause shriveling of passion fruits, but this does not influence the edible portion.

TEMPERATURE & CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE (CA)

Optimum Temperature

7-10°C (45-50°F) for partially-ripe fruits (potential storage life = 3-5 weeks) 5-7°C (41-45°F) for fully-ripe fruits (potential storage life = 1 week)

Optimum Relative Humidity

90-95%

Rates of Respiration

To calculate heat production multiply ml CO₂/kg·hr by 440 to get Btu/ton/ day or by 122 to get kcal/metric ton/day.

Rates of Ethylene Production

Passion fruits are the highest ethylene producers among all fruits with a production range of 160-370 µl/kg·hr at 20°C (68°F) at their climacteric peak.

Responses to Ethylene

Exposure of mature-green passion fruits to 100 ppm ethylene for 1-2 days accelerates their ripening. Once ripening begins exogenous ethylene treatment is unnecessary because the fruits produce high ethylene concentrations.

Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA)

No published information available.

Passion fruits may benefit from packaging in perforated plastic films (no or minor effect on atmospheric modification) due to reduction in water loss during handling.