Postharvest behaviour of Musang King (D197) durian fruits harvested at different time intervals after anthesis

Wan Mohd Reza Ikwan, W. H.*¹, Mohamad Fikkri, A. H.¹, Muhammad Afiq, T. A.² and Mohd Musanif, G.²

Abstract
One of Malaysia’s leading durian varieties, D197, also known as “Musang King,” is highly sought after in the export market. The postharvest behavior of Musang King durian was studied across four maturity stages: 13, 14 and 15 weeks after anthesis (WAA), and naturally abscised ripe fruit (control). Fruit characteristics were compared from harvest to ripening under ambient conditions (28 °C, 75% RH). Parameters measured included respiration and ethylene production rates, pulp firmness, husk and pulp color, quality-associated chemical composition (total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, ethanol, acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate), pulp dry matter, husk moisture content, and sensory evaluation. Consistent with literature, early-harvested fruits exhibited a typical climacteric pattern in respiration and ethylene production, with a dramatic surge in respiration up to 4-fold, while naturally abscised ripe fruits displayed a higher yet consistent respiration rate, likely due to passing the climacteric phase on the tree. Delaying the climacteric phase could be advantageous in extending the storage life of durian. Dry matter, a critical indicator of durian maturity, revealed that only fruits harvested at 15 WAA attained a similar dry matter content as the abscised fruit (60.18%). Similarly, both yellowness and pulp softening increased with maturity. Surprisingly, biochemical composition, especially parameters like total soluble solids, did not significantly differ between all early-harvested and abscised ripe fruits when fully ripe with a TSS value of 40 °Brix. Among early-harvested groups, fruits at 15 WAA exhibited similar ripening behavior and quality attributes to abscised fruits, particularly in pulp color, firmness, dry matter content, and anaerobic volatile compounds, with better sensory performance in taste and texture parameters compared to earlier maturity fruits. This suggests that harvesting at 15 WAA could be optimal for Musang King durian to achieve comparable ripening quality with abscised fruits. Further comprehensive studies, including volatile organic compounds and chemical profiling, may provide additional insights correlated with sensory evaluation and physiochemical composition.

Keywords: maturity, ripening, quality, storage life, climacteric

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