Firmness characteristics of mango hybrids under ambient storage

A study was conducted to determine firmness of eight mango hybrids obtained from the crosses between Amrapali and Sensation and correlate it with TSS and peel thickness. The firmness was determined at top, middle and bottom positions of the fruit using TA + Di Texture Analyzer. The peel firmness at middle position of the hybrids varied from about 20 to 33 N on harvest day, which decreased to 5-12 N with increase in storage period. On 7th day of storage, the peel firmness became almost equal from top to bottom positions indicating the even ripening of fruit. Pulp firmness was found to vary from about 5 to 20 N of freshly harvested fruit, which reduced to 0.3-3.5 N during storage. Peel firmness of 5 N and pulp firmness of 0.3 N was found as threshold points below which the fruit may not be acceptable for consumption. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.