Aplikasi Etilen Efektif Meningkatkan Keseragaman Warna Kulit Buah Abiu (Pouteria caimito)

Abiu (Pouteria caimito) fruit harvested at the half-ripe stage with a predominantly green peel often exhibits delayed and non-uniform postharvest color development. Ethephon, an ethylene-releasing compound, has been widely used to promote peel color change in climacteric fruits. This study aimed to determine the most effective application method and concentration of ethephon for improving postharvest peel color uniformity in abiu fruit. The experiment was conducted from June to December 2023 using a completely randomized design with two factors: ethephon application method (dipping and soaking) and ethephon concentration (0, 100, 200, and 400 ppm). Fruits were stored at ambient temperature for 12 days. Soaking in 400 ppm ethephon was the most effective treatment, increasing the a* value by 29.20% while decreasing the b* value by 4.25% and the hue angle by 3.00% compared with the control after 12 days of storage. This treatment also promoted chlorophyll degradation and increased carotenoid and anthocyanin contents. Therefore, soaking abiu fruit in 400 ppm ethephon is recommended as an effective postharvest treatment to improve peel color uniformity. Keywords: chromameter; degreening; ethylene; pigmentation; postharvest