Effect of precooling on the quality of mango (cv. 'Mallika').
Puttaraju T. B., Reddy T. V.
Author Affiliation: Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, G.K.V.K. Campus, Bangalore 560 065, Karnataka, India.
Journal of Food Science and Technology (Mysore) 34 : 24-27
Abstract : The effect of precooling on the storage life of mango cv. Mallika fruits was studied. The precooling methods adopted were hydrocooling (15 or 30 min), running water (15 or 30 min), room cooling (30 or 60 min), ice cooling (15 or 30 min), evaporative cooling and control (no cooling treatment). Cooling under running cold (4-5°C) water for 30 min effectively lowered fruit temperature by 16° and significantly retarded ripening, extending storage life by 3-4 days while retaining fruit quality. Although ice cooling was the most effective method for reducing physiological weight loss, delaying ripening and maintaining higher fruit firmness, the sensory quality of these fruits was unacceptable, due to high spoilage. The evaporative and room cooling methods were not effective in enhancing the storage life of mangoes.