In!luence of Wax Coating on Extending the Shelf Life of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Karuthakolomban.

Abstract

Extending the shelf life of mango is important for their successful marketing. In this context, different edible coatings have been used for prolonging the storage life and preserving the quality of fresh fruits. Effect of GumArabic, Chitosan and IPHT bio wax as edible coatings on pH, Titratable Acidity (TA), Total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, peel colour of L*(black to white), a*(redness to greenness), and b* (yellowness to blueness)values and shelf life of mango fruits were investigated. Chitosan 0.8% (CH), Gum Arabic 8% (GA) and IPHT bio wax 1:25 (IPHT) were selected as the optimum concentrations from pre-treatments. Mango fruits were treated with the selected concentration of each wax and they were evaluated for their ability to extend the storage life. Treated mango fruits were stored at 13±1°C and 90% relative humidity during the storage period. Significant differences were observed (P<0.05) for tested parameters in fruits treated with CH, GA and IPHT bio wax when compared to the control. CH, GA, IP HT and control samples showed storage life of 27, 23, 24 and 18 days, respectively. There wereno significant differences (P>0.05) observed between the treatments ofGAand IPHT for pH, TA, TSS, firmness and peel colour values of L*, a*, and b*. These results suggested that application of Chitosan 0.8%,GumArabic8% and IPHTbio wax 1:25 coating as bio preservativemight be an effective technique for extending the shelf life and maintaining the quality of mango cv. Karthakolomban fruits during cold storage where Chitosan 0.8% is the best treatment.