Changes in the sensory characteristics of mango cultivars during the production of mango purée and sorbet.

UNLABELLED: The effects of processing on the flavor and texture properties of 4 mango cultivars available in the U.S. were studied. Descriptive panelists evaluated fresh mango, mango purée, and mango sorbet prepared from each cultivar. Purées were made by pulverizing mango flesh, passing it through a china cap, and heating it to 85 °C for 15 s. To prepare the sorbets, purées were diluted with water (1:1), sucrose was added to increase the total soluble solids (TSS) to 32 ± 2 °Brix, and bases were frozen in a batch-type ice cream freezer. Processing fresh mangoes into mango purée generally decreased fruity character and mango identity and led to the appearance of a cooked note. Many of the flavor distinctions among cultivars carried over from fresh to purée samples, but much of the texture variation was lost. Thermal processing had differing effects on the flavor of the cultivars, and therefore, results suggest that mango cultivars for purées should be selected based on properties after thermal treatment. Processing purées into sorbets minimized flavor variation among cultivars, although Tommy Atkins sorbet was relatively high in green and green-viney character and low in caramelized flavor compared to the other cultivars in sorbet. Based on the current study only very distinct flavor properties of mango cultivars may carry over to sorbets. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Findings from the present study will help mango purée and sorbet manufacturers select appropriate cultivars for their products by understanding the transformation that mango undergoes as it is processed into mango purée and subsequently to mango sorbet.