Question
I am a student working on pineapples and bananas. I would like to know the effect of exogeneous ethylene on pineapple during the post harvest storage. What is the response of the pineapple color and the internal quality to an ethylene exposure? Is it a good idea to store green pineapple with yellow bananas to accelerate the color evolution? (S.C.)
Answer
Pineapple is a non-climacteric fruit and should be harvested when ready to eat based on a minimum of 12 to 14% soluble solids (measured with a refractometer), depending on cultivar. Since pineapples do not contain a significant amount of starch at harvest, there is no increase in sugars after harvest. If harvested pineapples are exposed to ethylene, there may be a slight loss of green color, but no significant effects on internal quality. Thus, I do not recommend such treatment. --Adel A. Kader