Physio-biochemical and antioxidative enzymatic changes in ambient stored ‘Misribhog’ mango in response to chitosan and aloe vera gel coatings

Purpose: Mango shelf life has significance for both market availability and long-distance transportation. So, effective treatments of postharvest are vital for maintaining the climacteric character of mangoes by limiting postharvest losses during storage. Research method: A total of 96 physiologically mature mango fruits (8 fruits in each replication) were taken. This study assessed the effect of Aloe vera gel (1:1 AVG), chitosan (1.5% CTS), and combinations (CTS+AVG) on mango shelf life and postharvest features following 16 days at ambient storage (28±3°C and 80±5% RH). The experiment was conducted using completely randomized design. Findings: The results demonstrated that either CTS or AVG had a positive effect compared to control on different parameters but their combinations was considerably superior treatment equated to the control in terms of weight loss (13.09, 20.03%), reduced respiration rate (11.22, 19.89 mlCO2/kg/h), ethylene production (0.50, 0.56 µl/kg/h), total soluble solids (17.33, 22.23 oBrix), pH (5.86, 7.40) and decay percentage (13.14, 27.64%). Fruit quality metrics were all higher when CTS+AVG was used than the control, such as titratable acidity (0.66, 0.61), fruit firmness (28.61, 21.95 N/m2), ascorbic acid (14.52, 10.84 mg/100g), total phenolic content (112.99, 80.02 mg GAE/100g) and antioxidant activity (274.86, 196.65 µmol/g). Coated fruits exhibited a considerable reduction in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) (5.49, 7.87 U/mg FW), while higher levels of catalase (CAT) (0.54, 0.45 U/mg FW) and peroxidase (POD) (0.75, 0.70 U/mg FW) enzyme activity. During storage, coated fruit peels exhibited notably less discoloration than control fruits. Research limitations: In future, mechanism of CTS and AVG for prolonging shelf life of mangoes will be revealed using molecular approach. Originality/Value: These results suggest that chitosan (CTS) and Aloe vera gel (AVG) coatings combined can preserve ‘Mishribhog’ mango shelf life and postharvest quality for 16 days during ambient storage.