Sorbitol immersion controls chilling injury in CA stored 'Palmer' mangoes

Chilling injury (CI) in mangoes can be reduced using a controlled atmosphere (CA) and sorbitol immersion, although studies combining these treatments have yet to be recorded. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use multivariate analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods in controlling CI. 'Palmer' mangoes were immersed in 0.1 and 2.5 % (w/v) sorbitol solutions and stored under CA (5 % O-2 + 5 % CO2) at 8 degrees C for 30 d. The evaluations were performed under CA storage conditions (0, 10, 20, and 30 d), after which the fruit were transferred to an ambient temperature environment (similar to 23 degrees C) for a further 7 days. CI was minimized in mangoes treated with 2.5 % sorbitol and stored in a CA. In addition, the physicochemical variables (soluble solids content, titratable acidity, SSC/TA ratio, and pH), firmness, and mesocarp color (L*, h degrees, and C*) were not affected. CI development was associated with increased fresh weight loss and epicarp color (L*, h degrees, and C*). Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were related to CI symptom development, which intensified with the transfer to an ambient temperature, mainly due to increased electrolyte leakage (EL), lipid peroxidation (LP), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. CI inhibition in mangoes treated with 2.5 % sorbitol under a CA was related to the nonenzymatic (vitamin C and total polyphenols) and enzymatic (superoxide dismutase - SOD, catalase - CAT, and ascorbate peroxidase - APX) defense metabolisms, allowing for the quality of the fruit to be maintained for up to 30 d at 8 degrees C.

Automated summary

This study demonstrated that chilling injury in mangoes can be reduced by treating the fruit with 2.5% sorbitol and storing them in a controlled atmosphere, with the inhibitory effects related to both nonenzymatic and enzymatic defense metabolisms. The physiological and quality attributes of the fruit were maintained for up to 30 days at 8 degrees Celsius under these treatment conditions.