Impact of ripening stage and drying on selected quality attributes of apple mango cubes and leathers

Apple mango is an improved cultivar that has been widely adopted by farmers in Kenya for use in the fresh market and processing. However, its production and consumption are adversely affected by high postharvest losses, which result from the perishable nature of the fruit, especially during glut periods. This is partly due to limited availability of information on alternative product use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of ripening stage and drying on the physico-chemical quality and sensory acceptability of Apple mango fruit grown in the upper Athi River region of Kenya. Moisture, crude ash, crude fibre, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, colour, total carotenoids and ascorbic acid of the unripe and ripe fresh mangoes were determined. Subsequent experiments involved drying of ripe and unripe mango cubes (8mm) in a windy oven (at 60°C) and, in parallel, drying of ripe mango puree (mixed with sucrose-glucose solution, citric acid and pectin) in a windy oven at three different temperatures (50, 60 and 70°C) which resulted in mango leathers. Analysis of total carotenoids, ascorbic acid content and colour was done for all dried samples, followed by sensory evaluation using the nine-point hedonic scale. The moisture content, crude ash and total soluble solids increased significantly (P<0.05) with ripening while titratable acidity decreased significantly (P<0.05). Ascorbic acid content decreased from 98.03 to 86.45 mg/100g with ripening while total carotenoids content approximately doubled from 768 to 1436 μg/100g. Drying resulted in high retention of total carotenoids, whereas, ascorbic acid content decreased. The mango samples became darker and redder in all cases. Dried mango cubes and leathers derived from ripe mangoes had higher scores in the sensory analysis compared to those obtained from unripe mangoes. In conclusion, the stage of ripening and drying technique employed are critical in determining the nutritional and sensory characteristics of dried Apple mango cubes and leathers. Drying Apple mango leathers at 60°C is the best method that can be adopted.Keywords: Apple Mango, Drying, Ripening, Fruit Leather, Fruit Cubes, Physico-chemical, Sensor

Production and characterization of wine from mango fruit (Mangifera indica) varieties in Kenya

Mango is one of the most important tropical fruit. In Kenya, increased production has been observed over years paralleled by large postharvest losses which are partly attributed to poor value addition practices. This study sought to investigate the suitability of mango fruit for wine production and characterization of the wine produced. Six mature and unripe mango fruits were harvested three times from a farm in Katheka Kai Division, Machakos County of Kenya. The ripened fruits were screened for their suitability to produce wine based on juice yield, °brix (°Bx), pH, reducing sugars and titratable acidity (TTA). The wine produced was analyzed for the chemical properties whereas characterization of the major volatile compounds was determined by GC‐FID. Sensory evaluation was done using a nine point hedonic scale with a reference commercial grape wine (chardonnay). Juice recovery was dependent on variety with Kent yielding 72.8%, Apple 71.3% and Ngowe 67.6%. The extracted juice had a high sugar content ranging from 17.0 to 23.9°Bx. Apple and Ngowe variety had the most suitable properties for wine production based on sugar levels and juice yield. The ethanol content of the wines produced was between 8.9‐ 9.5 %v/v, the range acceptable for table wine. The methanol content (128‐129mg/l) was however higher than grape wine (100mg/l) although it was within the acceptable limits for wine. The sensory evaluation indicated that mango wine exhibited similar sensory characteristics with those of grape wine. This study provides evidence that mango fruits are suitable for wine processing