Significant increases (p < 0.05) were observed between cold storage and subsequent shelf-life at the beginning of the storage, and at 15 and 21 days of storage (Table 2). With respect to ripening stages, there were significant differences (p < 0.05) between ripening stages for Enterobacteriaceae spp., with Stage 2 and Stage 3 presenting the highest counts after 15 days of storage.