BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS BEHAVIOR IN PAPAYA DURING REFRIGERATED STORAGE

The increasing search for nutritious and functional foods has sparked interest for bioactive components in alimentation. Substances with antioxidant activity have received great attention, because they assist to protect the human organism, avoiding and preventing a series of diseases, improving the consumer’s quality of life. Papaya has antioxidant properties due to the presence of carotenoids and vitamin C. Thus, this study aimed at verifying the bioactive compounds behavior during storage of the fruit in room temperature (24 ± 2 ºC and 48 ± 5% RH) and refrigerated at 13 ± 1ºC and 90 ± 5% RH for 15 days. Therefore, samples of Formosa ‘Tainung 1’ papaya were collected with up to 25% of the yellow peel and coated with carnauba wax. The analysis of carotenoids, by Nagata and Yamashita (1992) and ascorbic acid, by Strohecker and Henning (1967) were carried out 24 hours after harvest and every five days of storage, at the Quality Control and Drying Laboratory of the Technology Department of Federal University of Ceará. It was observed that the increase of carotenoid and vitamin C content in papaya was significative during fruit storage. The value practically doubled at 15 days of storage, from 1.04 mg of carotenoids and 43.39 of ascorbic acid, soon after harvest, to 2.13 mg and 82.44 mg, respectively. In refrigerated fruits there was also an increase in the values of the compounds, but more discreet at the end of storage (1.76 mg of carotenoids and 54.01 mg of ascorbic acid). The results demonstrate that the increase in antioxidant content is related to the fruit ripening which tends to be delayed in refrigerated storage due to the decrease of metabolic activity. Thus, to enjoy the benefits of antioxidant properties in papaya, it should be consumed preferably when ripe.