Abstract
Mango is a highly preferred seasonal tropical fruit with a maximum shelf-life of five to seven days. Hexanal is a plant volatile compound assayed in green tissues and showing significance in enhancing storage life and fruit quality attributes by preserving membrane integrity. This experiment explored the effect of the pre-harvest application of an aqueous hexanal composition (active ingredient: 0.02% hexanal) in altering the post-harvest storage behavior of four mango cultivars. The pre-harvest application of the hexanal formulation to the fruit surface twice before the harvest date drastically slowed down the physiological loss in weight by 70% to 80%, and reduced the ethylene evolution rate by two to three folds, respectively. The pre-harvest hexanal formulation spray combined with post-harvest cold storage prominently improved the storage life along with the total soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid and carotenoid content compared to untreated fruits stored in ambient conditions. Though ripening coincides with the increased activity of enzymes, the hexanal formulation spray acts predominantly in bringing down the activities of fruit softening enzymes viz. pectinmethlyesterase (43%) and polygalacturonases (37%), and antioxidant enzymes viz. peroxidase (67%) and catalase (45%), respectively.
Highlights
Mango (Mangifera indica Linn.), the widely acclaimed fruit of India, is known for its delicious taste, excellent flavor and rich nutritional content, especially vitamins A and C
The mango fruits treated with the hexanal formulation showed annex tended storage life of 15 days in comparis onto the 4 days observed in the control fruits (Figure 1A,B)
The hexanal formulation had a similar effect on the storage life of all four mango cultivars, with an increase in the average storage period from 5 to 16 days (Figure S1)
Summary
Mango (Mangifera indica Linn.), the widely acclaimed fruit of India, is known for its delicious taste, excellent flavor and rich nutritional content, especially vitamins A and C. Mango fruits are highly perishable, and are susceptible to huge post-harvest losses. Mango, being characterized with sudden burst of ethylene production, is classified as a climacteric fruit [1]. Most of the climacteric fruits, including mango, are vulnerable to post-harvest losses due to the rapid softening of the peel and pulp tissues, amplified physiological loss in weight, increased susceptibility to pathogens, and damage during transit, etc. Many factors, such as the cultivar, stage of harvest, harvesting methods, grading, handling, packaging and mode of transport affect the storability of mango fruits [2].The internal factors operating on the fruit viz. Many factors, such as the cultivar, stage of harvest, harvesting methods, grading, handling, packaging and mode of transport affect the storability of mango fruits [2].The internal factors operating on the fruit viz. respiratory processes, ethylene evolution, enzymatic starch hydrolysis, the action of polygalacturonases (PG), pectinmethylesterases (PME) and other ripening enzymes leads to the softening of the cell wall, followed by subsequent post-harvest deterioration
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