Abstract:Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba L.), the largest tree fruit native to North America, has become the focus of a significant effort to develop its commercial potential. Due to the very short shelf life of the ...Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba L.), the largest tree fruit native to North America, has become the focus of a significant effort to develop its commercial potential. Due to the very short shelf life of the ripe fruit, a critical component of this effort is the establishment of appropriate harvest and postharvest storage techniques. Although it has been reported that the ripening of the fruit is climacteric, there is no published data to support this. Nor are there any reports on the response of the fruit to cold storage. Fruit were harvested and classified as unripe if no softening was evident or as ripe if softening had commenced. Fruit were held at room temperature or were stored at 4 °C for 28 days, then moved to room temperature. Ripe fruit exhibited respiratory and ethylene climacteric peaks within 3 days of harvest and 5 to 7 days after removal from cold storage. Unripe fruit exhibited climacterics 5 days after harvest and after removal from cold storage. A survey of drops indicated that they were postclimacteric. Thus, pawpaw is a climacteric fruit and cold storage delays the start but not the relative rate of ripening.Read More