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Title: EFFECTS OF CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE STORAGE ON AROMA VOLATILES OF 'TOMMY ATKINS' MANGOES

Author
item BENDER, R - UNIV OF FL, HORT SCI DEPT
item BRECHT, J - UNIV OF FL, HORT SCI DEPT
item Baldwin, Elizabeth - Liz
item MALUNDO, T - UNIV OF GA EXPER STATION

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/24/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Mango fruit are popular world wide, but only grown in tropical regions. Intensified international trade in recent years has promoted mangoes to higher ranks of popularity. This necessitates transport of unripe mangoes from tropical regions to northern markets such that they ripen en route. Long term transit and storage requires methods to slow ripening. Also harvesting riper fruit results in better quality. This study documents the flavor changes in mango fruit harvested at different stages of ripeness and subjected to different storage conditions.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this work was to determine the effects of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage on aroma volatiles of 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes (Mangifera indica L.). Volatiles were determined from mature-green (MG) and tree-ripe (TR) mangoes that had been stored for 21 days in air or CA of 5%O2 plus 10 or 25% CO2. The MG fruit were stored at 12C and the TR fruit at either 8 or 12C. Homogenized mesocarp tissue from fruit that had ripened for 2 days in air at 20C after the 21-day storage period were used for aroma volatile analysis. TR mangoes produced much higher levels of all aroma volatiles except hexanal than MG fruit. Both MG and TR mangoes stored in 5% O2 plus 25% CO2 tended to have lower terpene and hexanal concentrations than 5% O2 plus 10% CO2 or air-stored fruit, especially p-cymene. Acetaldehyde and ethanol levels tended to be higher in TR mangoes from 5% O2 plus 25% CO2 than those from 5% O2 plus 10% CO2 or air storage, especially at 8C. Results suggest that properly selected atmospheres can prolong TR mango shelf life without sacrificing their superior aroma quality.