Maintaining quality of fresh-cut mangoes using antibrowning agents and modified atmosphere packaging.

Treatments to inhibit browning and decay and prolong shelf life of fresh-cut mangoes were investigated. Combinations of antibrowning agents and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) resulted in a reduction of browning and deterioration of fresh-cut mangoes stored at 10 degrees C. Combinations of several browning inhibitors were more effective than those applied individually. Among these treatments, solutions containing 4-hexylresorcinol (0.001 M) (HR) plus potassium sorbate (0.05 M) (KS) and HR plus KS plus D-isoascorbic acid (0.5 M) (ER) reduced changes in color (L, a, and b) and microbial growth and did not affect sensory characteristics of fresh-cut mangoes. In general, these treatments did not affect significantly the changes in organic acids and sugar content of slices during the 14 days of storage at 10 degrees C. High humidity created in the in-package atmosphere alleviated tissue dryness and was an important factor in the ability of the antibrowning solutions to prevent browning and decay. It appears that the maintenance of quality of fresh-cut mangoes is more related to particular combinations of the antibrowning agents used rather than the modified atmosphere created inside the package. HR + ER + KS treatment in combination with MAP could be used to inhibit browning, decay, and deterioration of fresh-cut mangoes.