76C-32 |
Postharvest ripening of Kent mangoes subjected to exogenous ethylene |
B. TOVAR1, E. Zamora1, M. Mata1, and H. S. Garcia2. (1) Lab. de Investigación en Alimentos, Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic, Av. Tecnologico # 2595, Tepic, Nay., 63175, Mexico, (2) UNIDA, Instituto Tecnologico de Veracruz, M.A. de Quevedo # 2779, Col. Formando Hogar, Veracruz, Ver., 91897, Mexico It is known that application of exogenous ethylene initiates the ripening process of mangoes. Effectiveness of this treatment is dependent on ethylene concentration, exposure time and maturity stage at harvest. Kent mangoes do not always change color from green to yellow/red when fully ripened, which makes necessary to employ methods to make this variety more visually attractive to consumers. The purpose of our work was to evaluate the application of ethylene for homogeneous ripening of Kent mangoes. Each of the following treatments used 50 fruits of physiologically mature Kent fruits: a) control mangoes kept at ambient temperature to ripen; b) refrigerated mangoes, maintained at 13 °C for 4 days and then transferred for ripening at ambient conditions; c) mangoes treated with 100, 500 or 1000 ml ethylene/l air for 18 h at 20 °C, then stored at 13 °C for 4 days and taken for normal ripening; d) mangoes stored at 13 °C for 4 days then treated with ethylene as described above and then ripened normally; and e) mangoes that were stored at 13 °C for 2 days, then treated with 500 ml ethylene/l air then stored again at 13 °C for 2 days and ripened normally. Highest respiration rate values were measured at day 5 in mangoes from treatments c) at 500 ml/l and d) at 100 ml/l, whereas control mangoes displayed this maximum until day 8. Weight losses were not influenced by ethylene treatments. Mangoes exposed to ethylene ripened more homogeneously than control mangoes and ca. 75 % of the fruits changed from green to yellow-red. Sensory evaluation demonstrated a sweeter perception of the control fruits as compared to the ethylene treated fruits. Application of exogenous ethylene produced homogenously-ripened mangoes but there were some sensory differences with respect to control fruit
Session 76C, Fruit & Vegetable Product: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
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