Introduction. Postharvest physiology and ripening in passion fruit are not well documented, which is an impediment in designing handling and storage regimes. Materials and methods. Passion fruits harvested at four different maturity stages were studied for postharvest ripening behaviour and to determine the correct stage of harvesting. Results and discussion. The respiratory climacteric peak was attained in all stages irrespective of harvest maturity, while the ethylene evolution rate increased by almost 8.15 times the initial value to peak levels of 505.35 µL C2H4·kg–1·h–1 in fruits harvested at the 50% colour turning stage. Changes in Hunter L*a*b* values indicated development of optimum colour only in fruits harvested after 50% colour turning. Fruit quality attributes were also better in fruits harvested after half (50%) colour turning than fruits harvested earlier. Conclusion. Passion fruit should be harvested only after 50% of fruit surface colour has developed, so as to allow for optimum postharvest storage, proper ripening, and development of characteristic flavour and fruit quality attributes.

Introduction. African fruit production, as well as regional andinternational fruit trade, have experienced heavy economic losses over the past decade dueto the damage caused by fruit flies, especially B. invadens Drew Tsuruta& White (Tephritidae: Diptera). Bactrocerainvadensattacks fruits belonging to numerous botanical families, several of which are of greateconomic importance. The females of these flies generally lay their eggs in mature fruits,but some can lay in green-immature fruits. Materials and methods. Theinfluence of the species, variety and phenology of fruits on the fruit attractiveness toB. invadens and the elicitation of B. invadensegg-laying behaviour were studied in the laboratory. Fruits harvested regularly during theyears 2008 and 2009 from orchards in the Niayes area (Senegal) were exposed to gravidfemales in cages set for the different factors tested. The exposed fruits were thenincubated and the pupae emerging from them were counted. Results anddiscussion. Bactrocera invadens females laid eggs in ripefruits. Within the same fruit species, the variety plays an important role in egg-layingpreference. Hence, among the mango varieties tested, the Pêche variety hosted the highestnumber of pupae per fruit, while the Palmer variety hosted the lowest number. Comparisonamong different fruit species showed that mature papaya was more infested than maturemango or citrus. Furthermore, flies were unable to develop on lime.Conclusion. Our study showed that B. invadens can infestgreen and ripe host fruits, and even immature abscised fruits. Consequently, management ofthis pest must include preventive measures in the development and implementation of anintegrated management system.

Introduction. Nypa fruticans is one of the mangrove plantsin Malaysia. Leaves of the plant are traditionally used for thatching, while the sap isuseful for producing an alcoholic drink, sugar and syrup, as well as vinegar. At present,N. fruticans fruit is considered as an underutilized fruit. Its flesh(endocarp) is considered nutritionally inferior. Hence, our study aimed to determine theproximate composition and total phenolic content of ripe and unripe flesh ofN. fruticans to explore its food uses as a source of nutrients.Materials and methods. Determination of proximate content followed the AOACmethods, while total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagentassay. Results and discussion. The results showed significant differences forall the proximate values (moisture content, ash, carbohydrate, crude protein, crude fat,and insoluble and soluble fiber) between the ripe and unripe flesh of the fruit. The fleshof ripe fruit also had higher (P < 0.05) total phenolic content thanits unripe counterpart. Conclusion. The ripe and unripe flesh of Nypafruticans could potentially be used as functional food ingredients in thefuture.

Introduction. There is a growing demand in the international market for excellent-quality dates of cultivars such as ‘Barhee’ that are consumed at the bisir stage. Materials and methods. The effects of GA3, BA and NAA postharvest dipping treatments at different concentrations on the quality characteristics of bisir ‘Barhee’ dates during cold storage were investigated. Results and discussion. The total soluble solids (TSS) concentration was lower in the BA- and NAA-treated fruit than in control fruit. Similarly, the GA3-treated fruit at 150 mg·L-1 contained a lower TSS concentration than control fruit. The GA3 at 150 mg·L-1, BA at 60 mg·L-1 and NAA at (100 and 150) mg·L-1 increased vitamin C concentration compared with other treatments. Acidity and total phenol concentrations were not affected by any of the treatments. The date soluble tannin concentration was higher than control fruit only in the dates treated with 20 mg BA·L-1. The weight loss % was lower in the BA-treated fruit at (20 and 60) mg·L-1 compared with all other treatments, while GA3 treatment at 50 mg·L-1 increased fruit weight loss % compared with control fruit. The percentage of dates at the rutab stage (index for fruit ripening) was lower for fruit treated with GA3than for control fruit. Also, the rutab stage % was lower for fruit treated with BA at 40 mg·L-1 and NAA at 150 mg·L-1 compared with control fruit. The TSS concentration decreased during storage from the initial day to day 20. However, there were no further decreases in the TSS concentration after (40 and 60) days of storage. The acidity concentration was slightly increased during storage. The vitamin C concentration increased until 40 days of storage, then a slight decrease occurred. The total phenol concentration decreased after (40 and 60) days of storage compared with the initial level. The soluble tannin concentration slightly increased at day 20 but sharply decreased after (40 and 60) days of storage compared with the initial level. Both weight loss and rutab stage % gradually increased during storage. There were significant interaction effects between growth regulators and storage period on TSS, vitamin C concentration, weight loss and rutab stage %.

Introduction. La pomme Cythère est un fruit économiquement sous-exploité au Cameroun par manque de connaissances sur les techniques de culture de l’espèce, la conservation post-récolte de son fruit et sa valeur nutritionnelle. L’objectif de notre étude a été d’analyser certains changements morphologiques et biochimiques qui se produisent au cours du développement de la pomme Cythère et de chercher à évaluer le temps s’écoulant entre la nouaison et la maturation des fruits, afin de prévoir une date probable de récolte au Centre Cameroun. Matériel et méthodes. Certains paramètres morphologiques (longueur, diamètre, volume et poids du fruit) et biochimiques (teneurs en eau, en sucres totaux, en lipides, protéines et en éléments minéraux, teneur en chlorophylles a et b) des fruits de S. cytherea ont été mesurés à partir de leur nouaison jusqu’à leur maturation. Résultats et discussion. Les valeurs des paramètres morphologiques mesurés sur le fruit ont augmenté au cours du temps et leur évolution a suivi une courbe à allure sigmoïdale. Les valeurs maximales ont été obtenues à la vingt-huitième semaine avec près de 128 g pour le poids frais, 19 g pour le poids sec, 69 mm pour la longueur, 58 mm pour le diamètre et 116 mL pour le volume. Les chlorophylles a et b ont diminué au cours du développement du fruit. La teneur des fruits en éléments minéraux a diminué avec le temps et le potassium a été l’élément le plus abondant. Sa teneur a varié de 1,6 % à 0,9 % entre la sixième et la trentième semaine après nouaison. Les sucres totaux ont augmenté avec le temps alors que les teneurs en lipides et les protéines diminuaient. Trente semaines après la nouaison, les valeurs ont été de 13,76 % de matière fraîche pour les sucres, de 0,47 % de matière sèche pour les lipides et de 0,43 % de matière sèche pour les protéines. Conclusion. La composition de la pomme Cythère donnerait à ce fruit une valeur nutritive aussi importante que celle de certains fruits tropicaux plus connus comme la banane, la mangue et l’ananas.

Introduction. This protocol aims at measuring the storage life potential of banana fruit, and at determining the physiological age of fruit. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the five steps necessary for calculating the banana green life duration, which corresponds to the number of days between the fruit harvest and climacteric crisis. Results. The measurement of O2 and CO2 concentrations allows one to detect the climacteric peak which marks the end of the banana green life.

Introduction. This protocol aims at measuring the mechanical characteristics of bananas, especially peel and fruit hardness, and pulp firmness; it can also allow the mechanical characterisation of green or ripening fruit of different pedo-climatic origins and/or varieties. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the three steps necessary for the measurement of the mechanical characteristics of bananas. Results. The data allow the drawing of a curve characterising the firmness of the fruit (slope), hardness of the peel (peak) and hardness of the pulp (plateau).

Introduction. La durée de vie verte (DVV), qui indique l’état physiologique des bananes à la récolte, est un critère de qualité majeur pour l’exportation des fruits. Afin d’évaluer et de comprendre la variabilité de la DVV existant en exploitation, une enquête diagnostic a été menée chez trois producteurs de bananes en Martinique utilisant la méthode des sommes thermiques comme outil de décision de récolte. Matériel et méthodes. Pour chaque producteur, des fruits ont été prélevés en sortie de station d’emballage sur 10 % des régimes récoltés pendant une semaine. Ces bananes ont ensuite été conservées à 14 °C dans des sacs perforés en polyéthylène jusqu’au stade de maturité « tournant vert ». La DVV a été définie par le temps écoulé en jour entre la récolte et ce stade de maturité. Résultats et discussion. La DVV a varié entre (18 et 69) jours avec une moyenne de 42 jours pour l’ensemble des producteurs. Près de 80 % de la production a eu une DVV entre (25 et 50) jours et moins de 4 % en dessous de 25 jours. La variabilité de la DVV a été liée principalement à l’âge des fruits à la récolte, exprimée en somme thermique (R = –0,74). Celle-ci a varié entre (600 et 1150) degrés-jour pour l’ensemble des exploitations. Les fruits contaminés par l’anthracnose de blessure et les pourritures de couronne ont présenté une DVV plus courte que les fruits sains et cela indépendamment du stade de récolte (p < 0,001). L’origine de cette contamination a été discutée. À même somme thermique, des différences significatives de DVV ont été mises en évidence selon le lieu de production (parcelle) (p < 0,001). Des écarts de plus de 7 jours en moyenne ont été observés entre des parcelles provenant du même producteur et situées à même altitude. L’origine de ces différences a également été discutée.

Introduction. The quantitative volatile compound composition of bananas (Musa acuminata, AAA group, Cavendish subgroup) was investigated in two different cultivars (Robusta and Grande Naine) grown at two different altitudes [(90 and 500) m], and ripened at two different maturity stages (color grades 5 and 7). Materials and methods. Volatile compounds were separated and identified by coupled capillary gas liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry. After evaluating changes in volatile composition during ripening, the effect of both growth altitude and cultivar was examined. Results and discussion. For a partially mature fruit, the growth altitude showed different effects on the two cultivars. The Robusta cv. exhibited a higher aroma volatile compound concentration at high altitude, while that of the Grande Naine cv. was higher at low altitude. At the fully mature stage, this difference still existed but was not so distinct. Conclusion. Whatever the ripening stage, Robusta cv. exhibited the highest aroma volatile compound concentration. Discriminate sensory analysis closely related to differences in the volatile composition of samples.

Introduction. During ripening, the pigment content, starch index and sugar content of banana fruit change, providing accurate indicators for maturity classification. However, at present, banana fruits are traded according to their color stage. This study is aimed at investigating a non-destructive, rapid instrumental method to measure fruit maturity and quality more precisely. Materials and methods.Musa cavendishii L. grown in Honduras were ripened in a commercial ripening chamber and selected at four different color stages. Visible (VIS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in reflectance mode were investigated for the non-destructive detection of fruit chlorophyll and sugar contents. Partial least squares regression was applied to auto-scaled spectral data. Reference analyses were performed using spectrophotometry after a diethyl ether extraction of chlorophyll and high performance liquid chromatography for individual sugar analysis. Results. Calibration models for spectral readings and laboratory destructive tests gave multivariate correlation coefficients of determination of $R^2 > 0.70$ for chlorophyll a, R2 = 0.96 with standard errors of calibration (scal) of 1.6, and standard errors of cross-validation (scval) of 1.8 for glucose; R2 = 0.94 with scal of 0.8, and scval of 0.9 for sucrose; R2 = 0.96 with scval of 2.5 and Scval of 2.7 for fructose (g$\cdot$kg-1 on a dry weight basis). Conclusion. This paper shows the potential of VIS/NIRS for non-destructively predicting the maturity and quality of whole banana fruit based on determining fruit chlorophyll and sugar contents.

Des paramètres de la reproduction d'une population isolée du tilapia Sarotherodon melanotheron ont été étudiés durant 2 années consécutives et comparés avec les données de la littérature obtenues sur des populations vivant dans son milieu naturel. Le sexe-ratio (année 1 : 1:2,69; année 2 : 1:1,96) en faveur des femelles varie de façon saisonnière. Les mâles atteignent la maturitésexuelle plus rapidement (année 1 : 129 mm LS ; année 2 : 126 mm LS) queles femelles (année 1 : 135 mm ; année 2 : 136 mm LS). Le cycle dematuration des gonades est continu. Ces résultats sont dans l'ensemblesemblables à ceux obtenus dans le milieu naturel de l'espèce. Cependant,une fécondité inférieure et un diamètre ovocytaire plus grandsont notés dans le lac d'Ayamé. Le facteur de condition moyen despopulations du lac, intermédiaire entre des valeurs observées dans lesmilieux lagunaires, indique une bonne adaptation de l'espèce aux conditionsd'eau douce du lac.