Fruit Produce Facts English

Jackfruit

Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality

Adel A. Kader

Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis

Maturity & Quality

Maturity Indices

Jackfruits can reach very large size (as much as 90 cm long, 50 cm wide, and 25 kg in weight), depending on the cultivar, production area, and the fruit load on the tree. Color change from green to yellow to brown is used as an indication of maturity and ripeness stages. Optimum harvest for long-distance transport is when the fruit changes color from green to yellowish-green. Fruits are harvested with a portion of the stalk attached to be used in handling them.

Quality Indices

Fruit size
Shape
Color
Freedom from defects (sunburn, cracks, bruises) and decay

Jackfruits contain 25-30% carbohydrates (fresh weight basis) including about 15-20% starch in unripe fruits that is converted to sugars (sucrose + glucose + fructose) in ripe fruits.

The unripe fruit is used as a starchy vegetable, either boiled or roasted, and when ripe it is used as a dessert fruit. Average acidity is 0.25% citric acid.

Jackfruit fruitlets are commonly sold in producing countries as a fresh-cut product.

Maturity & Quality Photos

Title: Quality (1)

Photo Credit: Adel Kader, UC Davis

Title: Quality (2)

Photo Credit: Adel Kader, UC Davis

Temperature & Controlled Atmosphere

Optimum Temperature

13 ± 1°C (56 ± 2°F); potential postharvest-life = 2-4 weeks, depending on cultivar and maturity stage.

Optimum Relative Humidity

85-95%

Rates of Respiration

20-25 (preclimacteric) to 50-55 (climacteric peak) ml CO₂/kg·hr at 20°C (68°F)

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

No published information.

Responses to Ethylene

Exposure to 100ppm ethylene for 24 hours accelerates ripening of mature-green jackfruits at 20-25°C (68-77°F). During ripening, the starch is converted into sugars, the pulp color changes from pale white or light yellow to golden yellow, and the fruit aroma becomes intense.

Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA)

No published information.

Disorders

Physiological and Physical Disorders

Chilling Injury. Jackfruits exposed to temperatures below 12°C (54°F) before transfer to higher temperatures exhibit chilling injury symptoms, including dark-brown discoloration of the skin, pulp browning and off-flavor development, and increased susceptibility to decay.

Pathological Disorders

Pathological disorders usually follow mechanical and/or chilling injuries. No published information on postharvest pathogens of jackfruits.

Date

May 2001

Use of Materials

The UC Postharvest Technology Center grants users permission to download textual pages (including PDF files) from this World Wide Web site for personal use or to reproduce them for educational purposes, but credit lines and copyright notices within the pages must not be removed or modified.

Except for these specified uses, no part of the textual materials available on the UC Postharvest Technology Center Web site may be copied, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, further transmitted or otherwise reproduced, stored, disseminated, transferred or used, in any form or by any means, except as permitted herein or with the University of California's prior written agreement. Request permission from UC Postharvest Technology Center. Distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited.

The information in this fact sheet represents our best understanding of the current state of knowledge at the time of the latest update, and does not represent an exhaustive review of all research results. Links to any of these UC Postharvest Technology Center pages are permitted, but no endorsement of the linking site or products mentioned in the linking page is intended or implied by such a link.

How to Cite

Author(s) names. Initial publication or update date (located at the top). Title. Link to the specific Produce Fact Sheet webpage (Accessed date)

Example: Cantwell, M. and T. Suslow. 2002. Lettuce, Crisphead: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.

http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=19&ds=799 (Accessed January 18, 2014).

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