Post-Storage Physiological, Biochemical and Anti-Oxidative Quality Changes of ‘Chenab Gold’ Mango Fruit during Fruit Ripening at Ambient Conditions

Abstract

‘Chenab Gold’ is an emerging mango mid to late season cultivar of Pakistan and is popular among mango growers, exporters and consumers due to good fruit size and superior fruit quality characteristics. However, very little literature is available about its behavior after fruit harvest during cold storage and fruit ripening following cold storage. So, a study was executed to investigate physiological, biochemical and anti-oxidative quality changes of ‘Chenab Gold’ mango fruit during fruit ripening at shelf following cold storage. For this purpose fruit of ‘Chenab Gold’ mango was harvested at commercial maturity and stored at low temperature storage conditions (12±2 °C and 90-95% RH) for 7-, 14- and 21-days. Various fruit quality attributes were investigated during fruit ripening at shelf (25±2 ºC; RH 60-65%) following cold storage. The results revealed that irrespective to low temperature storage duration treatments, stored mango fruit exhibited significant increasing losses for fruit weight loss, titratable acidity (TA), vitamin C contents, fruit firmness, fruit shriveling and disease incidence as the fruit ripening duration progressed. However, as the fruit ripening at shelf progressed, a significant increase in fruit quality was observed including total phenolic contents (TPC), total anti-oxidative activity, carotenoids and activity of catalase (CAT) enzyme in mango fruit stored for all types of low temperature storage duration treatments. The fruit stored for 21-days under low temperature storage conditions exhibited significant higher losses in fruit quality exhibiting higher respiration rate, fruit weight loss, fruit firmness, vitamin c contents and higher fruit shriveling and disease incidence as compared to fruit stored for 7- and 14-days with increasing fruit ripening period. However, in-contrary to losses the fruit stored for 21-days exhibited higher fruit peel colour L, b*, carotenoids contents as compared to fruit stored for 7- and 14-days interval. Conclusively it is evident that ‘Chenab Gold’ stored for shorter period of duration (7- and14-days) exhibited lower quality losses, however, fruit peel colour development was more in fruit stored for longer period (21-days) under cold storage conditions.