Edible coatings as carriers of antibrowning compounds to maintain appealing appearance of fresh-cut mango

Authors: MARIN, ANNA - Universidad De Valencia; Baldwin, Elizabeth - Liz; Bai, Jinhe; Wood, Dave; Ference, Christopher; Sun, Xiuxiu; BRECHT, JEFFREY - University Of Florida; Plotto, Anne

Submitted to: HortTechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/29/2020
Publication Date: 12/3/2020
Citation: Marin, A., Baldwin, E.A., Bai, J., Wood, D.R., Ference, C.M., Sun, X.N., Brecht, J., Plotto, A. 2020. Edible coatings as carriers of antibrowning compounds to maintain appealing appearance of fresh-cut mango. HortTechnology. 31(1):27-35. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04687-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04687-20

Interpretive Summary: Fresh cut mangoes provide convenience to consumers who find whole fruit difficult to peel, and are available all year round. However, if the fruit is cut when not quite ripe, the shelf-life might be acceptable but the typical mango flavor is compromised. In this study, we found that mangoes could be cut at an "eating ripe" stage and yet have a acceptable shelf-life of 10 days if the slices were dipped in citric acid and other antioxidants prior to packaging.

Technical Abstract: The mango fruit is highly appreciated for its unique flavor and nutritional value, and its tropical nature gives it an exotic connotation. Sales of fresh-cut mango slices and chunks as a ready-to-eat fruit product increased by 8% between 2013 and 2017 in the United States, showing the interest in such a value-added product. However, we previously found that processors tend to cut mangoes at an unripe stage to achieve a long shelf-life of 10-14 d, compromising eating quality. We also determined that the shelf-life of riper fresh-cut mango slices is limited by tissue softening, translucency and browning. The current study was undertaken to investigate whether edible coatings can extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut mangoes processed at an eating-ripe stage. Three edible coating formulations were used, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC, 1% w/v), Aloe vera extract (Aloe, 2% w/v), and whey protein isolate (WPI, 2% w/v), as well as the firming agent calcium ascorbate 2% w/v, combined or not with the antibrowning agents citric acid (0.8% w/v) and acetyl-N-cysteine (0.4% w/v). The mixture of antibrowning agents, whether applied alone or with the edible coatings, was the most effective at reducing slice browning up to 11 and 14 d at 5 'C for ‘Tommy Atkins’ and ‘Kent’, respectively. In general, there were no differences in firmness and flavor between the three edible coatings. Calcium ascorbate alone did not suppress browning consistently, while citric acid appeared to be the ingredient having the greatest antibrowning effect on slice quality. Citric acid can easily be used by processors of fresh-cut mangoes to prevent browning.