36E-5

Y. KIM¹, J. K. Brecht², and S. T. Talcott¹. (1) Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Univ. of Florida, 459 FSHN Bldg, Newell Drive, PO Box 110370, Gainesville, FL 32611-0370, (2) Horticultural Sciences Dept., Univ. of Florida, 1143 Fifield Hall, PO Box 110690, Gainesville, FL 32611-0690

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important tropical fruits worldwide and gaining in popularity in the US. The demand of mangos far exceeds domestic supply, extending markets for fruit import whereby a Hot Water Treatment (HWT) is required against invasive pests. Additionally, Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage is often used to preserve fruit quality and extend shelf life. Postharvest studies with fresh mangos have primarily focused on quality characteristics and little information is available on phytochemical and antioxidant properties of similarly treated fruit. The objective of these studies was to investigate chemical changes in fresh mangos as influenced by the stage of fruit ripening for the application of CA in combination with a HWT. Mature, green mangos (cv. Tommy Atkins) were held under three CA conditions with or without a HW immersion treatment (46°ĘC for 60 min). CA treatments included 21% O2 + 78% N2, 3% O2 + 97% N2, and 3% O2 + 10% CO2 + 87% N2 for 2 weeks. Half of the fruit were immediately pureed for analysis while remaining fruit were held at 25°ĘC until fully ripe. Analyses included total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, and flesh color. As the fruit ripened, total phenolic concentrations and antioxidant capacity decreased, but were unaffected by either HWT or CA while the remaining physicochemical attributes were not changed by HWT or CA, but were significantly altered with fruit ripening. Since HWT and CA had little effects on the phytochemical or antioxidant capacity of the fruit, the benefits of these treatments were primarily in shelf life extension and overall quality. Since domestically produced mangos are not subject to HWT regulations, its application along with CA storage may be advantageous to preserve fruit quality and extend shelf life without detrimental effects to phytochemical content.

Session 36E, Fruit & Vegetable Products: General
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday AM Room Hall I-2

2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana