CONSERVATION OF 'TOMMY ATKINS' MANGOES STORED UNDER PASSIVE MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE

ABSTRACT For climacteric fruits, such as mango, losses have been reported from harvest to fruit consumption. Thus, controlled refrigeration and passive modified atmosphere have been used in combination with edible and biodegradable coatings or plastic packaging to minimise these losses. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of carnauba wax and Xtend plastic packaging film, with and without refrigerated storage, on the post-harvest preservation of 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes. The fruits were coated with carnauba wax and/or wrapped in Xtend bags and then stored at 12 ± 1 and 25 ± 3 °C for 21 days. The weight loss, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, vitamin C content, and the CO2 concentration inside the package were determined at 7-day intervals. Cold storage was observed to slow down the rate of degradation and to reduce adverse degradation reactions. By coating the fruits with carnauba wax, packaging them with Xtend plastic and keeping them under refrigeration, it was possible to store the mangoes at 12 ± 1 °C for 21 days. In this way, the CO2 concentration was reduced, mass loss and acidity were decreased, and the fruit firmness was preserved.