How to Store Feijoa (Pineapple Guava)
Feijoa (Acca sellowiana) is pineapple guava, distinct from common guava. UF/IFAS describes harvest cues and recommends refrigerator storage for mature fruit, without establishing a retail purchase-based timer.
Quick answer
UF/IFAS recommends allowing the first home-grown fruit to fall to indicate harvest readiness; softening and a lighter green color are additional cues. Handle gently because bruising is common.
No pantry duration or retail purchase clock is specified. The harvest cue explains maturity, not a guaranteed safety window. Firmness and color vary by cultivar and prior handling.
UF/IFAS recommends refrigerator storage for mature harvested feijoa. Its page reports a keeping observation under refrigeration but does not specify the observation's endpoint. This harvest-oriented advice is not a fresh allowance from retail purchase. Refrigerate sound ripe fruit, protect it from bruising and check its condition during storage; keep cut pulp promptly cold for safety.
The source does not define an endpoint or retail purchase start. Store-bought fruit's harvest, age and handling history are unknown. UF/IFAS provides practical refrigerator advice for mature harvested fruit; use condition and known history rather than adding an unstated period after purchase.
Wash under running water before cutting. Put cut or scooped pulp in a clean covered container and refrigerate promptly; FDA says perishable foods requiring refrigeration should not stay out beyond two hours (one hour above 90°F).
This is a general safe-handling limit, not a feijoa-specific quality period or a resettable timer. Whole-fruit postharvest advice does not apply after cutting. Discard cut fruit left outside safe temperature control too long.
Discard immediately if
- Discard fruit that is visibly rotten, moldy, leaking or contaminated; ordinary softening alone can indicate ripeness, not necessarily spoilage.
- Do not taste suspect fruit or use a normal smell as proof of safety.
Why guidance varies
Fresh mature feijoa/pineapple guava only. Species, cultivar, maturity, bruising and harvest/display age affect quality. UF/IFAS recommendations concern harvested fruit; no universal store-purchase start or domestic freezer method/duration is established here. Avoid transferring common-guava advice.
Identify the right guava
Feijoa, also called pineapple guava, is the fruit of Acca sellowiana. UF/IFAS explicitly distinguishes it from common guava, Psidium guajava. That distinction matters because ordinary guava storage advice may describe different fruit. Feijoa is often eaten by cutting it in half and scooping the pulp. Its aroma and flavor can be strong even when the fruit is sound, so smell should not be used as a stand-alone spoilage or safety test.
Use harvest signs without inventing a timer
UF/IFAS says backyard growers can wait for the first fruit to fall to learn when harvest begins; softening and a shift to lighter green also indicate ripeness. Feijoa bruises readily, and fruit maturity can vary across cultivars and successive harvests. These observations help a grower select mature fruit, but they do not tell a shopper how long a store-bought fruit has already been in transit or on display. Keep intact fruit out of direct sun, handle it gently and use ripe fruit as its condition warrants. No universal pantry duration is supported.
Refrigeration advice depends on the source context
UF/IFAS recommends refrigerator storage for harvested mature feijoa. Its source reports keeping under refrigeration but does not state the observation's endpoint. This is practical advice for mature fruit in a home-landscape context, not a promise that retail fruit lasts a fixed period from purchase. Fruit may already have been harvested, transported and displayed. Refrigerate sound ripe fruit, protect it from bruising and check its condition instead of starting a new countdown when it comes home.
Cut portions need a safe cold chain
Rinse the intact fruit under running water before slicing it, then use clean hands, a knife and a board. This keeps dirt on the peel from being transferred to the pulp. Refrigerate cut or scooped portions promptly in a covered container and keep them separate from raw meat, poultry and seafood. FDA's general rule is that foods needing refrigeration should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour above 90°F. No feijoa-specific cut-fruit period is established; use general cold-handling advice for cut portions and do not borrow a duration from common guava. Sound prepared fruit may be frozen using general fruit-freezing guidance, though no feijoa-specific method or storage period is established.
Match the product state, storage conditions and source clock above. This guide does not provide an automatic expiry timer.
Frequently asked questions
Is pineapple guava the same fruit as common guava?
No. Pineapple guava is Acca sellowiana (also called feijoa); common guava is Psidium guajava. Their storage guidance should not be interchanged.
Should I refrigerate feijoa?
Yes. UF/IFAS recommends refrigerator storage for mature harvested feijoa. Its reported keeping observation does not state an endpoint and is not a new allowance from retail purchase. Protect the fruit from bruising and use it according to its condition.
Can I freeze feijoa?
Sound prepared feijoa can be frozen using general fruit-freezing guidance, though no feijoa-specific method or storage period is established. Texture may change after thawing.
Sources for this answer
- A UF/IFAS Extension: Growing Feijoa Fruit in Florida — Identifies pineapple guava as feijoa, distinct from common guava; describes harvest cues and recommends cold storage for mature fruit. A reported keeping observation has no explicit endpoint, so no consumer duration is inferred.
- A UF/IFAS: Pineapple Guava — Acca sellowiana identity; fruit ripeness indicated by drop, softening and lighter-green color; fresh use.
- A FDA: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely — Wash produce before cutting/eating, refrigerate cut produce, avoid cross-contamination and discard rotten produce.
- A FDA: Are You Storing Food Safely? — General refrigerator/freezer temperatures and two-hour rule for foods requiring refrigeration; normal smell/appearance not proof of safety.
- A University of Minnesota Extension: How to Freeze Fruit Safely — General fruit-freezing preparation, packaging and freezer temperature guidance; no feijoa-specific method, quality period or thawed-fruit interval is established.