Efecto de la Aplicación de Recubrimientos Alcaloidales del Chocho (Lupinus mutabilis sweet), en la Vid ütil del Borojó (Borojoa patinoi Cuat.)

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Santa Catalina Experimental Station (EESC) of the National Autonomous Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP), with the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of alkaloidal extracts of chocho (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet), as an active coating to preserve the shelf life of borojó (Borojoa patinoi), an exotic fruit of the Ecuadorian Amazon, for export, attacked in postharvest by the fungus Penicillium digitatum. Andean grain 450 and water, hexane and isopropanol were used as raw material as extractants, obtaining a better extraction yield (15% w/w), in maceration for 4 hours and with 4 washes, with an alkaloidal concentration of 12.75% (w/w). Immersion of the borojó in a 6.37% alkaloidal solution of chochocho for two minutes prolonged its shelf life by up to 10 days under environmental conditions (17ºC, 50% relative humidity) and up to 55 days under refrigeration. However, it was not possible to control the loss of moisture from the fruit by transpiration. By applying an additional kerosene coating, a longer shelf life of the stored borojó was obtained, controlling the growth of P. digitatum and moisture loss, guaranteeing the sanitary and organoleptic quality of the fruit for 55 days under ambient conditions and 90 days under refrigeration (average T 10ºC). To confirm the innocuousness of the treatment, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on the fresh, alkaloidal-coated and paraffin-coated fruits, without showing significant changes in their composition and presenting a similarity in the characteristics suggested by a panel of semi-trained tasters: 93.88% (color), 83.22% (bittersweet), 94.5% (astringent) and 89.13% (rancid). In addition, an economic analysis was carried out, allowing to determine a total production cost of $ 654.81 dollars for a lot of 500 fruits, establishing a break-even point of 33.16%, considering the process feasible and profitable.