Aroma volatiles emission in relation to chilling injury in ‘Kensington Pride’ mango fruit

Abstract

SummaryMature green mango fruit (Mangifera indica L. ‘Kensington Pride’) were stored at 0, 5, 10, 15 or 20°C for 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 or 28 d to induce different levels of chilling injury (CI) and to elucidate its relationship with aroma volatile production. The fruit were removed from storage and allowed to ripen at 22 ± 1°C and CI index was assessed on fully ripe fruit. Aroma volatile compounds were estimated from the pulp of fully ripe fruit. CI index significantly increased as the storage temperature was lowered and the storage period was extended, particularly in the fruit stored at 0, 5 or 10°C. CI symptoms did not develop on fruit stored at 15 or 20°C. Fifty-six aroma volatile compounds were identified from mango fruit pulp using headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique with gas chromatography (GC-FID) and GC combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among the 56 aroma volatile compounds, 25 were quantified using GC, which included monoterpenes (±-pinene, ²-pinene, myrcene, 2-carene, ±-phellandrene, 3-carene, ±-terpinene, limonene, ocimine, ³-terpinene, ±-terpinolene, and a-terpineol), sesquiterpenes (±-copaene, ±-gurjunene, trans-carophyllene, aromadendrane, ±-humulene, alloaromadendrane, ³-gurjunene, and ledene), hydrocarbon (p-cymene), esters (methyl octanoate and ethyl caprylate), aldehyde (decanal), and norisoprenoid (²-ionone). A significant reduction in total aroma volatiles, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, hydrocarbon, esters, aldehyde, and norisoprenoid production were observed in fruit stored at 0, 5, 10 or 15°C compared with fruit stored at 20°C. The degree of reduction in aroma volatile compounds depended on the severity of CI, induced with different storage temperatures and storage periods. In conclusion lower temperature storage induced CI in mango fruit and adversely affected the aroma volatiles production.