ABSTRACT The guava fruit is a highly palatable and nutritious tropical fruit with a pleasant flavor. It is abundant at moderate prices in Kenya. However, limited processing and poor market returns result in high annual losses of the fruits. This study aimed at assessing the production, utilization, preservation and processing of guavas in Kitui and Taita Taveta counties, Kenya. Data collection (n = 417) was carried out by using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to guava farmers. Guavas were reported to grow naturally by most (83.9%) respondents although 37% had also planted the guava trees. The red-fleshed guavas were the most common varieties (97.6%) in the respondents’ farms compared to the white (49%) and strawberry (0.2%) varieties. Almost half of the respondents (46.6%) had both white- and red-fleshed varieties. Guavas were mainly used for household consumption (97.4%) although 30.5% of the respondents also sold the fruits. The marketability of guavas was significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) between the two counties with market access being more difficult in Taita Taveta (χ2 = 105.3,p < .001) compared to Kitui. Most (60%) of the respondents did not know of any processed guava products irrespective of their levels of education and gender (p > .05). Despite the high production of guavas in the country, processing remains extremely low (3.1%) due to limited knowledge (74.8%) and lack of appropriate equipment (65.9%) leading to the fruit’s economic under exploitation. There is a need for a structured system focused on guava value addition, reducing the fruits’ postharvest losses and increasing their economic and nutritional potential.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚番石榴（Psidium Guajava L.）生产、利用、加工和保存的趋势和制约因素

【摘要】：番石榴果是一种味道鲜美、营养丰富的热带水果。它在肯尼亚以适中的价格丰富。然而，有限的加工和糟糕的市场回报导致水果每年的损失很高。本研究旨在评估肯尼亚 Kitui 和 Taita Taveta 县番石榴的生产、利用、保存和加工。数据收集（n = 417）是通过使用对番石榴农民进行的半结构化问卷调查进行的。大多数 (83.9%) 受访者报告番石榴是自然生长的，尽管 37% 也种植了番石榴树。与白色 (49%) 和草莓 (0.2%) 品种相比，红肉番石榴是受访者农场中最常见的品种 (97.6%)。几乎一半的受访者 (46.6%) 同时拥有白肉和红肉品种。番石榴主要用于家庭消费（97.4%），尽管 30.5% 的受访者也出售水果。与 Kitui 相比，Taita Taveta 的市场准入更加困难（χ2 = 105.3，p < .001）两个县之间番石榴的适销性存在显着差异（p ≤ 0.05）。大多数 (60%) 的受访者不知道任何加工番石榴产品，无论他们的教育水平和性别如何 (p > .05)。尽管该国番石榴产量很高，但由于知识有限 (74.8%) 和缺乏适当设备 (65.9%) 导致水果的经济开发不足，加工量仍然极低 (3.1%)。需要一个结构化的系统，专注于番石榴增值，减少水果的收获后损失并增加其经济和营养潜力。