Effect of the Application of Edible Coatings on the Quality of Minimally Processed Mangoes (Mangifera Indica L.)

Worldwide Mexico is the seventh largest producer of mango and the first exporter of this fruit to the US. However the lack of appropriate technology in food preservation, which would allow maintaining the quality of the fresh-cut mango through its storage (15 days at 5 °C), mango producers have not been able to take advantage of new markets such as minimally processed products (MMP). Drained intracellular fluid and loss of firmness are the main problems for fresh-cut mango; these problems diminish the visual quality and promote the microbial growth, which cause the rejection of the product. Combining low temperatures of conservation with the use of edible coatings (EC) in submicron systems, would extend the shelf life of MPP. Therefore, the aim of this work was to compare the behavior of ‘Ataulfo’ and ‘Kent’ mangoes as a fresh-cut product when to compare the applied, sodium alginate (2 g/L) with citric acid (0.5 g/L) (SA-CA) and a nanoemulsion based on xanthan gum (0.3 g/L) with  α-tocopherol (2 g/L) (XG-T). Mango cubes were dipped in the coatings and packaged in polystyrene plastic containers that were stored for 16 days at 5 °C. Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory analyses were performed periodically during storage. There were no statistical difference between EC for total soluble solids and citric acid content. At the end of storage the mangoes treated with XG-T were firmer than SA-CA (49.63% and 67.27% of firmness, for ‘Ataulfo’ and ‘Kent’ mangoes respectively). The count of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased in all treatments; fresh-cut mango at 8 days reached a microbial growth population by ~4 log UFC g-1 and ~5 log UFC g-1 for ‘Ataulfo’ mango and ‘Kent’ mango respectively. Sensorial analysis indicates that acceptability falls within the first 12 days for ‘Ataulfo’ mango and the 8 days for ‘Kent’ mango. We suggest that ‘Ataulfo’ mango can be used for minimal processing due to maintained better quality standards than cultivar ‘Kent’. This study is a step forward for the commercialization of mango products with added value which would represent more revenues for the mango producer in Mexico.