Physico-chemical characterization of maturity stages in 'Tommy Atkins' mango grown in Iaçú, Bahia State, Brazil.
Santos D. B. dos, Pereira M. E. C., Vieira E. L., Lima M. A. C. de
Author Affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, CEP: 44380-000, Cruz das Almas, Ba, Brazil.
Magistra 20 : 342-348
Abstract : The interest in fruit crops has increased due to increased exports. However, some situations such as errors in the determination of harvest maturity result in postharvest damage and consequent economic losses to farmers and exporters. A study was conducted to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics of mango cv. 'Tommy Atkins' at five maturity stages recognized with a chart of skin colour. Fifty fruits were selected and assessed for the determination of the five maturity stages. Pulp firmness, pH, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and SS/TA ratio were analysed. Analysis of variance and mean comparison by Tukey's test at 5% probability were performed. For stages 1 (dark green) and 2 (light green), fruits were firmer, more sour and with less SS, and for stages 4 (30-70% yellow) and 5 (>70% yellow), fruits showed significant loss of firmness, TA reduction, increase of SS content and significant increment of maturity index.