2013 ASHS Annual Conference

The aim of this work was to study the application of different postharvest techniques compatible with the approved quarantine treatments to develop an industrial process that would extend the shelf life, decrease moisture loss, and maintain firmness in ‘Manila’ mangoes. A sample of 480 fruits of ‘Manila’ mangoes from Guerrero, Mexico, harvested at ¾ ripeness maturity were treated at 53 °C for 6 min., and then separated in a completely random experiment with four factors: irradiation, 1-MCP, microperforated bags, and storage temperature at two levels each one, (irradiated and non-irradiated, with and without 1-MCP, with and without bags and 13 °C and transfer from 13 °C to 20 °C), and then stored for 23 days. During storage, samples of fruits were analyzed for their external and internal visual quality, weight loss, color, firmness, total soluble solids, acidity and pectinesterase, and polygalacturonase activities. After 17 days, the weight loss in fruits not packed in microperforated bags and transferred from 13 °C to 20 °C was higher (9.2% to 10.1%) than those packed in microperforated bags and stored at 13 °C (4.0% to 4.7%), which indicated that the packaging in microperforated decreased the weight loss while irradiation and 1-MCP application had no effect. Firmness was not affected by the factors studied and reached values of 5.5–7.2 N at the end of the storage period, which indicated that it is necessary to look at alternatives to maintain the firmness of the fruit. The enzymatic activities of pectinesterase and polygalacturonase in the skin were not correlated with the processes of wilting and/or softening of the fruits.