Evaluation of polyfilm for shelf-life extension of mango (Mangifera indica) cv. Dashehari

Abstract

Present study reports the impact of polyfilm having ethylene absorbing property for study on ripening behavior of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Dashehari. The fruits stored in open condition decomposed after 10 days of storage but the fruits stored in polyfilm remained fresh even after 14 days of storage with low physiological weight loss (15%) and acceptable for marketing on the basis of their higher firmness (0.8 kg/cm2) and TSS (18.69oBrix). There was a marginal difference in carotenoids, phenol content and antioxidant values in both the conditions. The level of polygalacturonase activity retarded from 0.146 to 0.095 U/ml in polybag, while it increased from 0.146 to 0.268 U/ml in fruits stored under open condition. Thus polybag is effective in prolonging the shelf-life of mango fruits by way of its ability to maintain fruit firmness and delaying the ripening process.

Keywords

• Mango
• Microbial counts
• Polybag
• Post-harvest physiology
• Polygalacturonase