Changes in Physicochemical Properties during Maturation of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) Based on Three Harvest Stages

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is an exotic fruit with its cultivation increasing rapidly in several regions. Being a non-climacteric fruit and of perishable nature, understanding harvest maturity stage is important for ensuring quality fruit to consumers. The present study was conducted for two consecutive years during 2020-21 and 2021-22 under foothills of Nagaland at Seithekema-C village, Chümoukedima district, Nagaland, India, laid out in Completely Randomized Design replicated five times, consisting of three harvesting stages viz., H1- 25 Days after anthesis (DAA), H2- 30 DAA and H3- 35 DAA. Fruits were tagged in the morning following anthesis and harvested according to the treatment requirement. Physical and quality aspects were analyzed where it was evident that changes in biochemical factors occur during maturation. Among the three maturity stages, physiochemical factors such as fruit size, fruit firmness, TSS, titratable acidity, TSS: acid ratio, sugar content were recorded to be optimum at 30 DAA (H2), while storability in terms of lower post-harvest spoilage was recorded in 25 DAA (H1). At initial stage (25 DAA), higher total phenol content (6.87 GAE mg/g) was recorded followed by H2 (30 DAA) with 4.98 GAE mg/g and the minimum content (3.11 GAE mg/g) was recorded in H3 (35 DAA). This finding indicated a decline in total phenolic content as the fruit underwent development and ripening whereas an increasing trend in the betacyanin content was found with the advancement in fruit maturity. For optimum quality with longer shelf life, harvesting of dragon fruit at 30 DAA is rendered to be congenial for Chümoukedima region of Nagaland, India.