CHANGES OF POSTHARVEST NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES IN ‘HARIBHANGA’ MANGO BY ALOE VERA GEL WITH CHITOSAN AND COCONUT OIL COATING DURING AMBIENT STORAGE

Abstract

Mango is a well-known tropical climacteric fruit that decays rapidly. Thus, a post-harvest management strategy utilizing natural and biodegradable materials is necessary to minimize crop losses. Mango samples are coated with the following six treatments: Control (distilled water), 1.5% chitosan solution (w/v), Aloe vera gel (1:1 v/v), coconut oil (1:1 v/v), 1.5% chitosan solution + A. vera gel (1:1 v/v) and coconut oil + A. vera gel (1:1 v/v). The existing study aimed to evaluate the effects of A. vera gel with chitosan and coconut oil on postharvest features and mango shelf life on 0, 5, 10, 15 days of storage at room temperature (25oC±2). The findings showed that A. vera gel with chitosan coatings significantly decreased weight loss, respiration rate and ethylene production compared to control, in addition to the decay percentage. The application of A. vera gel with chitosan also showed higer acidity (0.1 %), less content of total soluble solids (11.7 %), less pH (5.4), greater fruit firmness (3.3 kgcm-2), and greater ascorbic acid (15.8 mg 100g-1) compare to control at 12 days of storage. Additionally, phenol content (94.8 mg GAE 100g-1) and activity of antioxidants (290.3 µmol g-1) declined slightly throughout the storage, while fruits of control demonstrated rapid phenol content and antioxidant activity. Coated fruits considerably reduced activity of polyphenol oxidase, whereas control fruits had the lowest catalase and peroxidase enzyme activity all through the storage period. The coated fruit peels showed higher L* and b* values as compared to the control fruits throughout storage. These findings suggested that A. vera gel with chitosan covering might preserve bioactive components and post-harvest 'Haribhanga' mango fruit quality under ambient storage.