Abstract
Curuba (Passiflora mollissima) is a tropical fruit which is considered exotic, highly perishable and susceptible to post-harvest losses. In this research, the physical, physiological and physico-chemical characteristics of this fresh fruit from the municipality of Sonsón, Antioquia, Colombia, were evaluated. After the pulp was obtained, the following conservation treatments were applied: sucrose addition, heat treatment, chemical treatment, and control. The characteristics of pH, acidity, °Brix, color, and browning and sensory indexes for days zero, five, ten and fifteen were evaluated. It was possible to conclude that the best preservation treatments in terms of sensory characteristics of the curuba pulp were the thermal treatment and the sucrose addition and the treatment with sucrosa was the one that presented the most appropriate acidity, while the chemical and thermal treatments did not present a significant difference with respect to the control, also the treatment that least affected the color of the curuba pulp was the thermal treatment.
