Influence of ethylene treatments on ripening and chilling injury alleviation in mango (cv. Palmer) fruit.
Mohammed M., Brecht J. K.
Author Affiliation: Department of Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago.
: 437-446
Abstract : The effect of exogenous application of C2H4 on fruit ripening processes to alleviate chilling injury (CI) in mango cv. Palmer fruits was investigated. Half-mature fruits were either placed in air at 20°C for 2 days or exposed to 100 ppm C2H4 for 2 days at 20°C and evaluated for physiological and sensory quality attributes at 3-day intervals for up to 15 days at 5°C. After 15 days at 5°C fruits were transferred for 1 and 3 days to 20°C to study CI. Exogenous C2H4 applied at 100 ppm for 1 day at 20°C plus 1 day in air did not initiate the climacteric but prevented CI in fruits during 15 days at 5°C plus 1 or 3 days at 20°C. A 2-day C2H4 treatment initiated climacteric C2H4 and CO2 production and though effective in reducing CI, resulted in 10.6% fruit decay. Meanwhile, fruits exposed to air at 20°C for 2 days before storage for 15 days at 5°C plus 1 or 3 days at 20°C remained preclimacteric and developed moderate symptoms of CI.