Calcium chloride and chitosan coatings combined with modified atmosphere packaging extend the shelf life and maintain the quality of frozen mango slices

Abstract

SummaryThe combination of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and coating effectively improved the gas environment in packaging trays with low O2 concentrations (1.46–4.24%). This led to a significantly higher quality in terms of delaying the colour change, preserving phytochemical and antioxidant concentrations when mangoes were coated with 0.5% CaCl2 (CA) or CA followed by 0.5% combined solution of CA plus chitosan (CA + Mix) and reducing weight loss with the CA + Mix coating. There were no significant differences in the sensory scores between fresh and frozen–thawed ripe mango regarding overall acceptability, appearance, colour, flavour and texture. These findings suggested that the shelf life of frozen mango could be extended by 6 months with high quality with the combination of MAP and coating with CA + Mix or CA. This approach has the potential to increase the value chain of ripe mango through commercial cost savings.