Evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of ‘Irwin’ mango grown in the plastic house with heating at general and different storage conditions

Abstract

The ‘Irwin’ mango is one of the most popular mango cultivars existing in South Korea. Identifying fruit characteristics is essential for improving the quality after harvest because they vary with different environmental conditions. In this study, the physicochemical parameters of ‘Irwin’ mangoes were studied under general conditions in a plastic house with heating and two different storage conditions. The fruits were kept under room temperature storage at 20°C and cold storage at 7°C for 14 days. They were then exposed to room temperature conditions. The physicochemical properties, such as chromaticity in the front and back sides, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), firmness, ethylene production, and respiration rate, were measured. The data were analyzed using JMP Pro statistical software, and the mean separation was performed by Tukey’s HSD test at P<0.05. The ‘Irwin’ mangoes were divided into five different skin colors (maturity): S1 (Green>50%), S2 (Green 30-50%), S3 (Green 20-30%), S4 (Green 10-20%), and S5 (Green 0%). Consequently, in general conditions, fruit firmness, and TA values were dramatically decreased, and the SSC content increased with the maturation. The highest respiration rate and ethylene production can be obtained in S4 and S5, respectively. Moreover, under storage conditions, the physicochemical parameters were varied in the usual pattern except for SSC in room temperature storage. Under other conditions, physicochemical characteristics were retained during the cold storage, and the characteristics were changed moderately after being exposed to room temperature. Considering the chromaticity, an apparent variation in every color value between the front and back sides of the fruit could not be observed, and there are significant differences among stages. These results showed that the ‘Irwin’ mango fruit quality relates to the physicochemical parameters. The outer environmental conditions are affected by its changes, and how they influence the postharvest shelf life can be identified by evaluating these characteristics periodically. © 2025 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.