Surface treatments and coatings to maintain fresh-cut mango quality in storage

Abstract

Background: Edible coatings may extend fresh-cut fruit storage by preventing moisture loss and decreasing gas exchange. This study evaluated the effect of an antibrowning dip (calcium ascorbate, citric acid and N-acetyl-L-cysteine), followed or not with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or carrageenan coatings on quality of fresh-cut mangoes stored at 5 C for up to 20days. A fourth treatment, only used in one of four experiments, consisted of chitosan. Treatments were applied on 'Tommy Atkins', 'Kent' and 'Keitt' mangoes harvested from Homestead (FL), and on imported store-boughtmangoes. Results: The anti browning dips maintained the best visual quality during storage for all cultivars, as indicated by higher b̈z.ast;, hue and L̈z.ast;. The CMC coating maintained similar visual quality, but carrageenan or chitosan decreased L̈z.ast; and b̈z.ast;. The anti browning dip containing calcium ascorbate reduced firmness loss on cut pieces of 'Keitt', 'Kent' and store-boughtmangoes. The antibrowning treatment maintained higher titratable acidity for 'Kent' and 'Keitt', resulting in lower sensory sweetness. Conclusion: This study with repeated experiments showed that calcium ascorbate with citric acid and N-acetyl-L-ysteine maintained cut mango slices attractiveness in storage by keeping light color in both varieties. The addition of a polysaccharide coating did not consistently improve quality. Published in 2010 by john wiley & Sons Ltd.