Postharvest conservation of 'Tommy Atkins' mango with bio-organic coating of Chlorella sp.

Abstract

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of microalgae-based coatings in the postharvest con­servation of 'Tommy Atkins' mango, subjected to storage under refrigerated conditions and under ambient condi­tions. Two experiments were carried out, one under refrigeration (Experiment I), with 21 days at 10 °C and 42% RH and then seven days at 25 °C and 42% RH, and another at room temperature, at 23 °C and 42% RH (Ex­periment II) for ten days. Both experiments were set up in a completely randomized design, whose treatments consisted of the doses of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% Chlorella sp. An increase above 2% in the contraction of Chlorella sp. causes delay in ripening. The best physicochemical indications for maintenance of 'Tommy Atkins' mango quality were observed in fruits that received the coating of 1% Chlorella sp., reflecting good appearance, fresh mass loss of less than 5.5% and total sugars above 12%, under both storage conditions.