EFFECT OF POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON SHELF-LIFE AND QUALITY OF MANGO CV. LANGRA

Abstract

An experiment was carried out at the Laboratories of Horticulture, and Food Processing and Preservation, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur during June to December, 2018 to study the shelf-life and physicochemical changes of mango cv. Lamgra under different postharvest conditions. This single factor storage experiment was conducted in the completely randomized design with five replications. In the experiment, mango fruits cv. Langra were stored in five conditions: T0= open condition, T1= 1-MCP (150 nmol mol-1 ) treatment, T2= 1-MCP (200 nmol mol-1 ) treatment, T3= 0.5% Chitosan treatment, T4 = 1% Chitosan treatment, and T5 = 1.5% Chitosan treatment. The stored fruits were kept on a table at ambient condition and monitored for 2, 4, 6 and 8 days of storage. The parameters studied were: firmness, postharvest decay, weight loss, appearance, vitamin C, total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar, β-carotene and changes in the total polyphenol contents. In all the cases, fruits stored in control condition lost weight rapidly and decayed after 6 DAS showing lowest shelf-life. Oppositely, fruit stored in T5 indicated a significant lost of weight (9.51%), retained firmness (0.95 kg/cm 2 ), lowest postharvest decay and biochemical qualities too: sugar accumulation (70.50 mg/100 g fw), vitamin C (18.30 mg/ 100g fw), β-carotene content (0.58 mg/100 g fw) and total polyphenol contents (195 mg GAE/100 g fw) on 6 DAS compared to other storage treatments. The significant impact of treatment was found on the least decay percentage in the order of 1-MCP (200 nmol mol-1 ) > 1-MCP (150 nmol mol-1 ) > Chitosan (0.5%) > Chitosan (1%) and Chitosan (1.5%). Hence, it could be concluded that the postharvest biochemical treatments with both 1-MCP (200 nmol mol-1 ) and Chitosan (1.5%) had the potential to control spoilage, prolong the shelf-life and preserve valuable attributes of postharvest quality of mango, presumably because of its effects on inhibition of ripening and senescence processes by lowering the respiration rate.