Anaerobic compensation point can effectively extend Palmer mango shelf-life in CA storage.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the anaerobic compensation point (ACP) required to maximally inhibit aerobic respiration and extend postharvest life of ‘Palmer’ mangos produced on ‘Espada’ rootstock in the summer and winter growing seasons in Brazil. The study was composed by two experiments. The first was carried out to determine the ACP (minimum pO2 required to maximally inhibit aerobic respiration) of ‘Palmer’ mangos during storage at 9 ◦C. The second was carried out to validate the minimum pO2 to store the fruit under dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA). In the first experiment, the fruit were harvested at the commercial maturity in the summer and winter growing seasons and stored for 49 days at 9 ◦C with 90–95 % relative humidity. Every week, the fruit were hermetically sealed in 20 L containers, where O2, CO2, and ethanol concentrations were monitored during 35 h. The minimum pO2 required to maximally inhibit fruit aerobic respiration was determined at the beginning of ethanol production, which indicates a shift of fruit aerobic to anaerobic respiration (ACP). The minimum pO2 to efficiently inhibit aerobic respiration of ‘Palmer’ mangos ranged from 0.3 kPa to 4.7 kPa in summer and 1.75–11.15 kPa in winter growing seasons. Fruit harvested in the following growing season and stored in DCA with the minimum pO2 showed lower aerobic respiration, mass loss, as well as better maintenance of skin and pulp color, firmness, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), and SS/TA ratio, compared to fruit stored only under refrigerated atmosphere at 9 ◦C for 60 days