Chilling injury in mango (Mangifera indica) fruit peel: Relationship with ascorbic acid concentrations and antioxidant enzyme activities

Abstract

We investigated the degree of chilling injury (CI) in mango (Mangifera indica) fruit stored at 4°C or 12°C, in relation to peel ascorbic acid concentrations, total antioxidant capacity, and the activities of four antioxidative enzymes. In cv. Nam Dok Mai fruit exposed to 4°C, CI (peel browning) was found after 5 days, whilst CI in cv. Choke Anan fruit started after 10 days and did not reach the same degree. When held at 27–28°C, following various periods of exposure to 4°C, peel browning in both cultivars increased, but that in cv. Nam Dok Mai remained higher than in cv. Choke Anan. An inverse correlation was found between peel browning and ascorbic acid concentrations, and between peel browning and total antioxidant capacity, measured using the FRAP method. In cv. Nam Dok Mai, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were lower during storage at 4°C than during storage at 12°C, while such a difference was not found in cv. Choke Anan. When compared to cv. Choke Anan, lower activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and of guaiacol peroxidase (POX) were found in the peel of cv. Nam Dok Mai. However, no difference was observed in APX and in POX activities in the peel of cv. Nam Dok Mai stored at 4°C or 12°C. This means that the relationships between CI and APX and POX activities were weak.