Abstract:
'Karutha Cotomban' mango is more prone to stem-end rot (SER) disease that causes
substantial postharvest losses in quality as well as quantity. The objective of this study
was to use aqueous emulsions of basil (1.6 pL/mL), clove (2.0 pL/mL), cinnamon leaf
(2.0 pL/mL) and cinnamon bark (1.6 pL/mL) oils as sprays with passive modified
atmosphere packaging (MAP) in low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags qs_ a bio-s_afe
strategy to control SER of 'Karutha Colomban' mango stored at 12 - 14 "C and 85 -
g0% of retative humidity. Distilled water and 0.1% (w/v) carbendazim treatments were
used as negative and positive controls respectively. ln-package respiratory gases were
measured during storage for B days. Pathological, physicochemical, sensory
evaluation and feel color of mango were assessed after transferring to ripening at the
end of the storage period. All essential oil treatments combined with passive MAP
have significantly reduced SER severity of mango to 0.3 ' 1.1% when compared to the
negative controlwithout adversely affecting the physicochemical, sensory properties
anl peel color. Mango fruits treated with basil, clove and cinnamon leaf oils obtained a
slighily higher preference by the sensory panelthan other treatments. ln-package 02
concentration was at 3.8 - 5.8%, while CO2 was at 4.3 - 5.0% at the end of the B-day
storage period. Respiratory gas levels attained a steady state equilibrium which
resulied'in extending the shelf life by reducing the metabolism of both commodity and
associated microorganisrns. Further, current treatments can be commercialized as
eco-friendly treatment strategies to be used during transportation and storage of
mango in local trade within one week and for exportation via air cargo that takes
approximately 2 - 3 daYs.
