Effect of Hot Water Exposure Duration, Storage and Hot Water Temperature on Chilling Injury, Incidence and Quality of Keitt Mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Low temperature storage is the most effective method of extending postharvest life and maintain fruit quality because it delays physiological processes such as ethylene production and senescence. Unfortunately, fruit such as mangoes are sensitive to low temperature storage and may be detrimental due to chilling injury, which reduces fruit quality. Effects of storage temperature, hot water at various temperatures and durations on alleviation of mango chilling injury and quality were evaluated on Keitt mango for the growing season in Botswana. The treatments were fruits dipped in distilled water at room temperature (25±2ºC- control), dipped in hot water at 50 and 55ºC for duration of 3, 5 and 10 minutes and storage temperatures at 4, 7, 10, 13 and 25±2ºC, plus 95% RH. The results showed that as storage temperature at below 13ºC, chilling injury incidence and severity significantly (P ≤ 0.0001) increased. Atwater temperature from 25ºC to 50 and 55ºC and duration in which mango fruit was held in hot water, increased from 3 to 5 and 10 minutes, chilling injury incidence and severity significantly (P ≤ 0.0001) decreased.