Effects of harvesting seasons and maturity stages on internal characteristics of the mangosteen having different surface properties

Translucent flesh disorder is a major internal physical disorder of mangosteen. The internal characteristics of smooth‐ and coarse‐surface fruits in relation to their respective specific gravity values and sensory characteristics were evaluated for suitable grading process. Study on percentage of the internal characteristics was performed in different external characteristics, different harvesting seasons and different maturity stages of mangosteen. Results showed that internal physical disorders of smooth‐surface fruits were higher than coarse‐surface ones at the level of 63% and 19%, respectively. Average specific gravity of normal‐flesh fruits, mild translucent‐flesh fruits and moderate‐to‐severe translucent‐flesh fruits were observed as 0.97, 1.00 and 1.01, respectively. The sensory characteristics: sweetness, flavour and overall acceptability were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for coarse‐surface fruits compared with smooth‐surface fruits. Both results were inconsistent with market price in which smooth fruit was 50% higher than coarse‐surface fruit.