Effect of long-term controlled atmosphere storage on fruit quality in Heidi mango.
Oosthuyse S. A.
Author Affiliation: HortResearch SA, P.O. Box 3849, Tzaneen 0850, South Africa.
: 95-99
Abstract : Two similar experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of long-term controlled atmosphere storage on the fruit quality of mango cv. Heidi. A total of 60 and 108 fruits were harvested in the first and second experiments, respectively. The trials also differed in terms of the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the harvesting dates of the fruits (5 and 19 March 1997 for experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Fruits were stored at 12.5°C. After 21 days, mangoes were allowed to ripen at 20°C ambient air. Mangoes harvested at an advanced stage of maturation did not appear to benefit from controlled atmosphere storage, as pulp browning was elevated in these fruits. For fruits harvested on the conventional date (experiment 1), controlled atmosphere storage reduced surface scald, pulp browning and internal breakdown, and improved taste and shelf life.