Aptitude for drying of fruit produced by some varieties of mango trees cultivated in Cameroon.
Kameni A., Mbofung C. M., Ngnamtam Z., Doassem J., Hamadou L.
Author Affiliation: Irad, BP 415, Garoua, Cameroon.
Fruits (Paris) 58 : 89-98
Abstract : In rural zones of Cameroon, there is a problem of overproduction of mango (Mangifera indica) fruits. Drying of mango can be used to preserve the surplus fruits. In rural zones, electric driers which allow a fast and constant drying cannot be used because of the absence of electricity. To encourage the producers to use drying techniques to conserve the surplus mangoes during certain seasons, the aptitude for drying of some mangos cultivars produced in Cameroon was studied by comparing the products obtained by electric or solar drying. Fruits of three improved mango cultivars viz., Amélie, Zill and Irwin, and of a local cultivar (Horé Wandou) were collected during commercial and advanced maturity. After the preparation of fruits, the pulp was cut into slices and was dried either by solar drier or by direct exposure to sunlight. The physicochemical composition of the pulp samples was studied before and after drying. After drying at 50°C for 24 h using the electric drier, the dried mango slices recorded water content ranging from 16 to 24%. The contents of the analysed physicochemical components varied according to the cultivars and degree of maturity of the collected fruits. Vitamin C, reducing sugars and soluble solids content after drying were higher than 56%, whereas fibre content was only 16%. Mangos dried directly under the sun were similar to those dried using an electric drier in spite of a longer drying time and a lower amount of vitamin C. The cultivars Amélie, Zill, Irwin, and the local cultivar Horé Wandou lend themselves well to drying, which preserves the principal nutritive elements with good outputs.