Abstract
Mango is a highly perishable fruit and high post-harvest losses occur in Africa. In order to address this problem, 4 concentrations of Aloe vera gel (AG) (0, 25, 50 and 75%) and chitosan (1%) were tested at two temperature levels (room temperature 15-22°C and 13°C) to determine their effect on the postharvest life of mango (var.’Ngowe’). The experimental design was a 5 by 2 factorial experiment embedded in a complete randomized design with three replications. Data were recorded on titratable acidity, fruit colour, ascorbic acid and anthracnose disease incidence. The results showed that at both temperatures 50 and 75% Aloe concentrations significantly increased the shelf life evidenced by reduced decrease in titratable acidity. Fruit colour and ascorbic acid were also maintained for longer periods in these treatments. Findings of this study demonstrate the potential of using Aloe vera gel at 50% as a coating for improved postharvest shelf life and maintaining quality of mango fruits hence reduced postharvest losses. Key words: Aloe vera gel, postharvest shelf life, mango.
Highlights
Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the most economically important fruit of the Anacardiaceae family (Tharanathan et al, 2006)
The use of A. vera gel as an edible surface coating has been reported to prolong the shelf life and to delay changes in parameters related to deterioration of quality in sweet cherry and table grapes (Martinez- Romero et al, 2006; Serrano et al, 2006), yet no studies have demonstrated the use of A. vera natural plant extract based on its antifungal properties on enhancement of shelf life and quality of mango fruits
Aloe gel was obtained from fresh aloe leaves, the matrix was separated from the outer cortex of the leaves and the colourless hydroparenchyma homogenized in a blender
Summary
Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the most economically important fruit of the Anacardiaceae family (Tharanathan et al, 2006). A. vera based edible coatings have been shown to prevent loss of moisture and firmness, control respiration rate and development and maturation, delay oxidative browning, and reduce microorganism proliferation in fruits such as sweet cherry, table grapes and nectarines (Valverde et al, 2005; Matinez-Romero et al, 2005; Ahmed et al, 2009). The use of A. vera gel as an edible surface coating has been reported to prolong the shelf life and to delay changes in parameters related to deterioration of quality in sweet cherry and table grapes (Martinez- Romero et al, 2006; Serrano et al, 2006), yet no studies have demonstrated the use of A. vera natural plant extract based on its antifungal properties on enhancement of shelf life and quality of mango fruits. This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the effects of the different A. vera gel on postharvest life of mango fruits
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