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The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) fruit is an annonaceous fruit that belongs in the same family as tropical fruits like soursop, cherimoya, atemoya, and others. Pawpaw is the only fruit in the Annonaceae family that grows in temperate regions of the world. The fruit is native to the United States and grows in over 30 states in the United States including Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and parts of Texas. The fruit has remained underutilized and uncommercialized for several centuries. The main factors that have contributed to it being underutilized and uncommercialized are the rapid changes in quality that occur in the fruit after it is harvested. The fruit loses firmness, and the color of the skin rapidly changes from yellowish green to brown or black within 3-5 days. This study aims to evaluate the physical characteristics of different cultivars of the pawpaw fruit to gain insights into its processing potential, test …