Use of UV-C irradiation to prevent decay and maintain postharvest quality of ripe 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes

Ripe mangoes 'Tommy Atkins' were exposed to UV-C irradiation for 10 and 20 min, prior to storage for 14 days at 5 or 20 °C and a shelf-life period of 7 days at 20 °C. UV-C-treated fruit maintained better visual appearance than unirradiated controls. UV-C irradiation for 10 min was the most effective regime in suppressing decay symptoms and maintaining firmness during storage at 5 or 20 °C. Such fruit (treated with UV-C for 10 min) showed greater levels of putrescine and spermidine after cold storage than controls and those treated with UV-C for 20 min. Higher levels of sugars and lower levels of organic acids were observed in mangoes treated with UV-C for 20 min. However, the most effective UV-C treatment (10 min) for reducing decay maintained sugar and organic acid levels similar to the controls. No UV-damage was observed on treated fruits after storage. These results indicate that UV-C irradiation could be used as an effective and rapid method to preserve the postharvest life of ripe mangoes without adversely affecting certain quality attributes.