Postharvest factors affect under-skin browning in 'Honey Gold' mango fruit

Under-Skin Browning (USB) is a physiological skin disorder that significantly reduces quality of 'Honey Gold' mango (HG) fruit. Relationships between potential causative factors (vibration, holding temperature, sap) and expression factors (enzymes activities, phenolic concentration, anatomy) were investigated.

USB incidence was 2.6-3.6-fold higher in ripe HG fruit vibrated for 3-18 h at 12 °C to simulate transport damage and held then at 12 °C for 8 days compared to control fruit held under the same conditions. USB severity of fruit lightly abraded with sand paper to simulate physical damage and artificially induce USB was higher in fruit held at 10 °C than at 6-8 °C or 12-13 °C for 6-8 days. Compared to non-affected skin, USB-affected tissue had a 7.4% increase in total phenolics concentration. However, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities decreased by 19%. Anatomical similarities were observed between USB symptoms and sapburn caused by spurt sap or terpinolene (a major sap component) to abraded skin areas. Incidence of sapburn was higher in abraded fruit held at 12 °C than at 20 °C.

Holding HG mango fruit at 10 °C can intensify USB. Activities of PPO and POD appear not to be regulatory factors in USB expression in HG. Sap components may be involved in USB expression under conducive postharvest conditions. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.