In excellent news for mango lovers, new analysis from Edith Cowan College (ECU) has recognized a option to lengthen the storage lifetime of the favored tropical fruit.
The examine, led by ECU Faculty of Science Lecturer Dr Mekhala Vithana, discovered that dipping mangoes in ozonated water (aqueous ozonation) for 10 minutes earlier than chilly storage prolonged the chilly storage life by as much as two weeks, with considerably lowered prevalence of chilling harm.
“Growing storage lifetime of mangoes is extremely essential for each growers and merchants, because it reduces meals loss throughout storage and provides an extended market window,” Dr Vithana stated.
Rise in recognition and consequential waste
With a worldwide rise within the consumption of fruit and greens lately, there was a subsequent improve within the manufacturing of mangoes.
Nonetheless, a major proportion is misplaced alongside the provision chain because of fast ripening and extreme perishability.
“It’s estimated that about 20 per cent of the full Australian mango manufacturing is misplaced or wasted, and horticultural produce is answerable for about 50 per cent of the full meals waste in Australia,” Dr Vithana stated.
“Due to this fact, you will need to discover eco-friendly and cost-effective applied sciences to attenuate post-harvest losses of mangoes.”
Growers to merchants
Sometimes, mangoes are picked on the mature inexperienced stage and saved at 13 levels Celsius for as much as 14 days, nonetheless this isn’t chilly sufficient for prolonged storage.
“Being a tropical fruit, unripe mangoes shouldn’t be saved under 12.5 levels because of their excessive sensitivity to chilly temperatures,” Dr Vithana stated. “Extended storage of mango under this temperature causes a physiological dysfunction referred to as chilling harm, which damages the fruit pores and skin and results in decreased marketability and important meals waste.
“Due to this fact, susceptibility to chilling harm is the important thing limitation for exploiting chilly storage know-how to its most capability for lengthening the storage lifetime of mangoes.”
Ripe for analysis
The examine — carried out on Australia’s most generally produced number of mango Kensington Satisfaction — examined aqueous ozonation know-how to enhance chilling tolerance throughout chilly storage.
By dipping the mango within the ozonated water for 10 minutes previous to chilly storage at 5 levels Celsius, researchers discovered that they may hold the mangoes for longer with a lot much less chilling harm.
“Usually, Kensington Satisfaction mango can solely be saved for about two weeks with out ripening at 13 levels. Nonetheless, aqueous ozonation extends the storage and shelf life of those mangoes as much as 28 days, with 40 per cent much less chilling harm than untreated mangoes,” Dr Vithana stated.
“The aqueous ozonation appears to be extremely possible know-how for enhancing chilling tolerance and high quality of Kensington Satisfaction mango fruit.”
Dr Vithana stated ozonation could be managed on-site, is cost-effective and regarded protected for employees at a threshold degree because of its quicker break down into oxygen.
“Aqueous ozonation is effervescent ozone into water by way of an ozone generator,” she stated. “Ozone is a compound broadly used to sanitize fruit and veggies on a business scale.
“The ozonation could be mixed with the hydrocooling step after quarantine warmth remedy in export mangoes or individually as a sanitization step simply after harvesting, relying upon the comfort of the grower, however this wants additional optimization beneath business settings.”
Dr Vithana stated ECU researchers are hoping to do additional analysis on different types of mangoes to check their responsiveness and to attain additional discount in chilling harm for prolonged chilly storage.
