Postharvest physiology and handling of longkong fruit: A review

摘要

Introduction. Longkong fruit has a high economic value in South-East Asia, especially in Thailand. It has unique nutritional and organoleptic characteristics that contribute to fruit exports to numerous countries. Research issues. However, severe pericarp browning, fruit drop, moisture loss, off-flavor and chilling injury are the predominant problems in harvested longkong fruit during handling and storage. Temperature (low and high) and environmental conditions are the key factors that cause the majority of quality losses in longkong fruit, followed by postharvest decay. The postharvest handling of longkong fruit aims to prolong its quality and value, but it is not yet adequately developed and, as a result, several processing issues are still common. Investigated research areas. Optimal storage conditions, modified atmosphere packaging, chemical dipping and fumigation technology are widely applied to control longkong fruit postharvest losses. Although there have been numerous studies carried out on longkong fruit in the last decade, they were carried out in various countries and several languages. The present review attempts to summarise some of the most significant findings that involve fruit ripening and postharvest storage; in particular, the different treatments developed to extend the shelf life of longkong fruit.