Evaluation of Fruit Quality Characteristics in ‘Irwin’ Mango Grown via Forcing Cultivation in a Plastic Facility

Abstract

The 'Irwin' mango is one of the most popular mango cultivars in South Korea, but the fruit perishes quickly after harvesting. Identifying the fruit characteristics is essential to improve the quality after harvest because they vary with the maturity stage. In this study, 'Irwin' mango samples were harvested as a whole and divided into five distinct maturity stage groups depending on the green color proportion of the total fruit skin (S1: Green > 50%, S2: Green 30-50%, S3: Green 20-30%, S4: Green 10-20%, S5: Green 0%). The physicochemical properties, in this case the chromaticity, firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ethylene production rate, and respiration rate, were measured soon after harvesting the fruit. Consequently, the S1 and S5 stages showed higher and lower firmness and TA levels, respectively. Moreover, these values were significantly different in each stage. Along with the maturity stage, highest and lowest values in SSC were observed in S5 and S1; correspondingly, and the highest carbon dioxide and ethylene concentrations were observed in stages S5 and S4. With regard to chromaticity, no apparent variations were observed between the front and back sides of the fruit at every color value, though there were significant differences among the stages. By observing all of these quality characteristics, it can be concluded that fruit at the S3 and S4 stages are suitable for storage and are less preferred by consumers at harvest. In this case, the S5 stage is most suitable because the mangoes are at the ready-to-eat stage, more preferred by consumers, and can also be marketed at a higher price.

Enhancing the Quality of Ripened ‘Irwin’ Mangoes and the Shelf Life through Chitosan Edible Coating and Modified Atmosphere Packaging

“…The a * values (the red/greenness) (Wijethunga et al, 2023) on both sides of the fruits (Table 1) did not change significantly only in the 500 µL•L -1 chitosan post-harvest treated fruits and on the back side of the 100 µL•L -1 chitosan preharvest chitosan treated fruits throughout the storage period. Here, the values were increased slightly in the chitosan 100 µL•L -1 preharvest treatment, and a comparative increment was found in both MAP treatments.…”

“…Considering the L * color values (color lightness) (Wijethunga et al, 2023) of the 'Irwin' mango fruits in storage at 20°C…”

“…Apart from these outcomes, the a * color values of both sides of the 500 µL•L -1 chitosan preharvest treated mangoes showed a slight decrement during the storage period at room temperature. With regard to the b * color values (the yellow/ blueness) (Wijethunga et al, 2023) (Table 1), both sides of the 150,000 cc MAP-treated mangoes showed significant differences during the storage period. Moreover, the chitosan 100 µL•L -1…”

“…Moreover, mango pigments contribute to the nutritional content of the fruits and are authentic as harvest indices given their connection to the fruit maturity stage (Nordey et al, 2014). Generally, in the 'Irwin' mango cultivar, the green color of immature mangoes becomes reddish-yellow as they mature, later turning a remarkable dark red color at the fully mature ready-to-eat stage (Wijethunga et al, 2023). In addition, the green color of immature mangoes tended to decrease, becoming reddish-yellow with chlorophyll degradation and the increased accumulation of anthocyanin and carotenoids during the fruit maturation and ripening stage (Khoo et al, 2011;Ma et al, 2018;Li et al, 2019a).…”