effect of waxing and gum arabic coating on quality

International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences 2018; 3(5): 71-77

http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/ijaes

Effect of Waxing and Gum Arabic Coating on Quality andShelf-Life of Mango Fruits

Mohamed Magzoub Elzubeir1, *

, Abu-bakrAli Abu-Goukh2, Osman Adam Osman

1,

Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Saf3

1Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan 2Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Shambat, Sudan 3Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobied, Sudan

Email address

*Corresponding author

To cite this article Mohamed Magzoub Elzubeir, Abu-bakr Ali Abu-Goukh, Osman Adam Osman, Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Saf. Effect of Waxing and Gum

Arabic Coating on Quality and Shelf-Life of Mango Fruits. International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Vol. 3, No. 5, 2018, pp. 71-77.

Received: May 8, 2018; Accepted: July 3, 2018; Published: September 21, 2018

Abstract

The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of waxing and gum Arabic coating, in aqueous solutions, on the quality

and shelf-life of 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka' mango fruits in 'Abu-Gebeha' Area. Coating of fruits with gum Arabic in aqueous

solution significantly delayed the onset on the climacteric peak of respiration and fruit ripening, reduced weight loss, fruit

softening, peel color development, TSS accumulation and titertable acidity changes, retained ascorbic acid, maintained quality

and extended shelf-life of mango fruits. Waxing in addition to the gum Arabic coating was more effective than gum coating

alone in all parameters studied. Gum Arabic coating at 5% and 10%, without waxing reduced weight loss by 3.6% and 7.7%

and peel color development by 3.8% and 9.6% in 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka', respectively, compared with the control. Gum

Arabic coating at 5% and 10%, with waxing reduced weight loss by 13.5% and 19.6% and peel color development by 10.5%

and 21.0% in 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka', respectively, compared with the control.

Keywords

'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka' Mango Fruit, Wax, Gum Arabic, Quality and Shelf-life

1. Introduction

The mango fruit (Mangiferaindica L.) is the most popular

fruit in many countries among millions of people in the world.

It is considered as one of the best fruits in the world market,

due to its excellent flavor, attractive fragrance, beautiful

color, delicious taste and health giving properties [23]. In

Sudan, mango is an important and popular fruit crop. Its

annual production is about 651 thousand tons, representing

60% of total Sudan exports of horticultural crops [8].

Abu-Gebeha area in Southern Kordofan is considered as

one of the most important area in Sudan for producing mango,

guava and citruses, under rain-fed conditions. Although more

than 100 thousand tons of good quality mango fruits are

produced, only about 15% of the produce is marketed due to

poor harvesting techniques, unsatisfactory handling practices

and unadequate transportation and storage facilities [21].

These post-harvest handling practices need a lot of

improvement for the development of a sound mango industry

in the area.

Waxing retards the rate of moisture loss, maintains

turgidity and plumpness, and covers injuries on the surface of

the commodity [25]. It significantly alters permeability of the

skin to gases, the commodity, through respiration, is used to

reduce oxygen and increase carbon dioxide and a modified

atmospheric condition may be generated [12]. Coating of

fruits with gum Arabic has been found to delay fruit ripening,

maintain post-harvest quality and enhance their shelf-life in

tomato [7] and banana [13].

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of waxing

and gum Arabic coating in aqueous solutions on quality and

International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences 2018; 3(5): 71-77 72

shelf-life of 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka' mango fruits.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Experimental Material

Two of the most important mango cultivars grown in

Sudan: an early 'Kitchner' and late maturing 'Abu-Samaka'

were selected for this study. Mature-green fruits were

harvested from an orchard at Abu-Gebeha area in South-East

Kordofan (11° 27´ N, 31° 14´ E), theypicked by a hook

attached to a long bamboo pole equipped with a long cloth

bag held open by a ring. About 900 fruits of each cultivar

were selected for uniformity size, color and freedom from

blemishes, then washed with tap water to remove latex and

dust, and then washed by distilled water, treated with 200

ppm sodium hypochlorite (Clorox, 5%) as disinfectant and

air dried.

2.2. Fruit Treatment

The fruits were distributed among the six treatments in a

completely randomized design with four replicates. The

treatments were: (1) control, (2) wax, (3) 5% gum Arabic, (4)

10% gum Arabic, (5) 5% gum Arabic with wax, and (6) 10%

gum Arabic with wax. The fruits treated with aqueous

solutions of 5% or 10% gum Arabic by dipping them of each

designated concentration for three minutes and then air dried.

Food-grade wax (Flucka AG, CH-9470 Buchs) was applied

in a thin layer by brushing over the surface of the fruits. In

the composite treatment, wax was applied after gum Arabic

treatment. The fruits were then packed in carton boxes and

stored at 18 ± 1°C and 85-90% relative humidity.

2.3. Parameters studied

Respiration rate (RR), peel color (PC), weight loss (WL)

percentage were determined daily during the storage period

on 12 fruits from each replication. The total absorption

method was used [18] and RR was expressed in mg CO2 per

kg-hr. The color score used was: mature green (=0), trace

yellow on skin (=1), 20% yellow (=2), 40% yellow (=3), 60%

yellow (=4), 80% yellow (=5), and 100% yellow (=6). WL

percentage is calculated according to the formula: W1= [(Wo

- Wt) / Wo] x100%; where W1 is the percentage WL, Wo is

the initial weight of fruits at harvest and Wtis the weight of

fruits at the designated time. Flesh firmness (FF), total

soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and ascorbic acid

(AA) were determined in three fruits picked randomly from

each replicate, other than those used for previousparameters

in 2- day intervals and later every day during the storage

period. (FF) was measured by Magness and Taylor firmness

tester (D. Ballauf Meg. Co.), equipped with an 8 mm-

diameter plunger tip. Two reading were taken from opposite

sides of each fruit after the peel was removed, and expressed

in kilogram per square centimeter. TSS was measured

directly from the fruit juice extracted by pressing the fruit

pulp in a garlic press, using a Kruss hand refractometer

(model HRN-32). Two readings were taken from opposite

sides of each fruit and the mean values were calculated and

corrected according to the refractometer chart. Thirty grams

of fruit pulp were homogenized in 100 ml of distilled water

(oxalic acid for AA) for one minute in a Sanyo Solid State

blender (model SM 228P) and centrifuged at 10 000 rpm for

10 minutes usingaGallenkamp portable centrifuge (CF-400).

The volume of supernatant, which constituted the pulp

extract, was determined (was topped to 250 ml oxalic acid

for AA). (TA) was measured according to the method

described by [20] and expressed as percent citric acid. (AA)

was determined by using the 2,6-dichloro-phenolindophenol

titration method of [22] and expressed in mg per 100g fresh

weight.

2.4. Statistical Analysis

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Fisher's

protected LSD test with a significance level of P ≤ 0.05 were

performed on the data [10].

3. Results and Discussions

Waxing and gum Arabic coating significantly delayed fruit

ripening and senescence, retarded moisture loss, maintained

quality and extended shelf-life of the two mango cultivars

studied. These effects of waxing and gum Arabic coating on

ripening, quality and shelf-life were reflected in changes in

respiration, weight loss, peel color development, flesh

firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) and ascorbic acid content.

3.1. Effect on Respiration Rate (RR)

The respiration curves of the two mango cultivars

exhibited a typical climacteric pattern. Similar pattern of

respiration were observed during ripening of several mango

cultivars [2]. The untreated fruits had reached the climacteric

peak after 8 days in 'Kitchner' and 10 days in 'Abu-Samaka'

cultivar. The GA coating at 5% and 10% aqueous solutions

delayed the onset of the climacteric peak by one and two

days, respectively, compared with the untreated fruits. This is

in line with the findings of [13]. The wax treatment delayed

the onset of the climacteric peak by two days in the two

cultivars. Waxing in addition to the GA coating further

delayed the onset of the climacteric peak by two more days

in both cultivars, compared to GA treatment. This is in

agreement with previous reports in mango [16] and oranges

[14]. Waxing has been reported to influence respiration rate

by decreasing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide content

in the internal atmosphere of the fruits [11].

73 Mohamed Magzoub Elzubeir et al.: Effect of Waxing and Gum Arabic Coating on Quality and Shelf-Life of Mango Fruits

Figure 1. Changes in respiration rate of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b) mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or 10%

(□) without waxing ( ــــــ ) or with waxing (----) during storage at 18 ± 1°C and 85% – 90% relative humidity.

3.2. Effect on Weight Loss (WL)

WL progressively increased with storage. Significantly

lower percentages of WL were observed in the fruits coated

with GA in aqueous solution, with or without waxing,

compared with the control (Figure 2 (a) and (b)). WL was

reduced by an average of 3.6% 1nd 7.7% in the fruits coated

with GA in aqueous solution at 5% and 10%, respectively,

compared with the control. [13] found that WL was 24%

lower in banana fruits treated with 10% GA plus 1.0%

Chitosan composite coating than control fruits. Similarly, 10%

GA in aqueous solutions significantly reduced weight loss

during storage of tomato fruits at 20°C and 20-90% relative

humidity [7]. Waxing in addition to GA coating at 5% and

10%, decreased WL in both mango cultivars by an average of

13.5% and 19.6%, respectively, compared with control fruits.

Waxing decreases water loss from the fruits in mango [16],

guavas [17], tomato [6], oranges [14], grapefruit [3] and lime

[1]. Wills et al. (1998) reported that the rate of water loss can

be reduced by 30% to 50% in waxed fruits, under

commercial conditions particularly if the stem scar and other

injuries are coated with wax.

Figure 2. Changes in weight loss of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b) mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or 10%


3.3. Effect of Peel Color (PC)

PC score continuously increased during storage of the two

mango cultivars. At the end of the storage period the

untreated fruits reached the full yellow stage (color score 6)

after 10 days in 'Kitchner' and 13 days in 'Abu-Samaka'

mango cultivars (Figure 3 (a) and (b)). When the untreated

fruits reached the full yellow stage, PC development was

reduced in both mango cultivars by an average of 3.8% and

9.6% in fruits coated with 5% and 10% GA aqueous

solutions, respectively. This is in agreement with previous

reports that color development was delayed in tomatoes [7]

and banana [13] coated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions.

The wax treatment delayed PC development in both cultivars


by two days, compared to unwaxed control fruits. Waxing

with the GA coating at 5% and 10% aqueous solutions,

delayed PC development by three and five days, respectively,

compared with the control fruits. Color score was reduced in

both cultivars by an average of 10.5%, 21.0% and 32.5% in

fruits treated with 0, 5 and 10% aqueous solutions of GA

respectively, compared with the control. The delay in color

development in the waxed fruits was due to reduce oxygen

and increase carbon dioxide content in the internal

atmosphere of the fruit [12]. Waxing delays PC development

in mango [16], guava [17] tomato [6], orange [14], grapefruit

[3], and lime [1].

Figure 3. Changes in peel color of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b) mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or 10% (□)

without waxing ( ــــــ ) or with waxing (----) during storage at 18 ± 1°C and 85% – 90% relative humidity.

3.4. Effect on Fruit Flesh Firmness (FF)

FF decreased steadily during storage of both mango fruit

cultivars (Figure 4 (a) and (b)). The untreated fruits reached

the final soft stage (0.17 Kg/cm2 shear resistance) in 12 and

16 days in 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka' cultivars,

respectively. GA and wax treatments delayed the decrease in

FF during storage of both cultivars. The treated fruit with GA

and/or wax were more firm than the control at any time

during the storage period, but the difference diminished at the

end of the storage period. This is in line with previous reports

that FF was higher in tomato and banana treated with GA

aqueous solution than the control [7, 13]. Similarly, waxing

was reported to delay fruit softening in mango [16] orange

[14], grapefruit [3], and lime [1].

Figure 4. Changes in fruit flesh firmness of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b) mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or

10% (□) without waxing ( ــــــ ) or with waxing (----) during storage at 18 ± 1°C and 85% – 90% relative humidity.

3.5. Effect on Total Soluble Solids (TTS)

During storage period, the TSS progressively increased in

both mango cultivars. The maximum TSS value reached by the

untreated fruits was 20.3% in 'Kitchner' after 11 days and 17.8%

in 'Abu-Samaka' after 13 days (Figure 5 (a) and (b)). These


maximum values were reached after one and two days later in

fruits coated with 5% and 10% GA without waxing and after

three and five days with waxing in both cultivars, respectively,

compared to control. This agrees with the reports that fruits

coating with 10% GA delayed TSS changes during storage of

tomato [7] and banana fruits [13]. Waxing of fruits delays

changes in TSS during storage in mango [16], guava [17],

tomato [6], orange [14], grapefruit [8] and lime [1].

Figure 5. Changes in total soluble solids of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b), mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆)

or 10% (□) without waxing ( ــــــ ) or with waxing (----) during storage at 18 ± 1°C and 85% – 90% relative humidity.

3.6. Effect on Titratable Acidity (TA)

TA progressively decreased during storage period of both

mango cultivars. It decreased from 2.65% to 0.19% in 12

days in 'Kitchner' (Figure 6(a)) and from 3.1% to 0.2% in

14 days in 'Abu-Samaka' (Figure 6(b)). This in line with

earlier reports [15, 24]. These minimum values were

reached after one and two days later in fruits treated with

GA at 5% and 10% without waxing and after three and five

days later with waxing in both cultivars, respectively,

compared with the control. Similar results were reported in

tomatoes [7] and bananas [13] coated with GA aqueous

solutions. Waxing was repeatedly demonstrated to decrease

TA during storage of mango [19], orange [14], tomato [6],

grapefruit [3], lime [1] and papaya [4].

Figure 6. Changes in titratable acidity of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b), mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or

10% (□) without waxing ( ــــــ ) or with waxing (----) during storage at 18 ± 1°C and 85% – 90% relative humidity.

3.7. Effect of Ascorbic Acid Content (AA)

AA showed continuous decline during storage of both

mango cultivars in all treatments. It significantly decreased

from 40.1 to 15.0 mg/100g fresh weight at the ripe stage after

12 days in 'Kitchner' (Figure 7(a)) and from 32.8 to 15.0

mg/100g fresh weight at the ripe stage after 14 days in 'Abu-

Samaka' (Figure 7(b)). This agrees with previous reports that

AA declined rapidly during storage in mango [2, 16], guava

[9], orange and pineapple [5] and lime [1]. The amount of

ascorbic acid retained at the final ripe stage after 12 and 14

days in 'Kitchner' and 'Abu-Samaka was 37.4% and 45.7% of

the initial amount in the two cultivars, respectively. At that

time, AA retained was on average 5.5% and 12.5% more in

the fruits coated with GA at 5% and 10% aqueous solutions

without waxing, and 22.1% and 33.4% more in the fruits


coated with GA with waxing, respectively, compared with

the control. [7] reported that fruit coating with 10% GA

significantly delayed changes in AA in tomatoes. Waxing

reduced water loss during storage of both mango cultivars

and consequently reduced AA losses in the waxed fruits.

Waxing was reported to retain AA in mango [16], tomato [6],

grapefruit [3] and lime [1].

Figure 7. Changes in ascorbic acid of 'Kitchner' (a) and 'Abu-Samaka' (b) mango fruits treated with gum Arabic aqueous solutions at zero (o), 5% (∆) or 10%


4. Conclusion

Waxing and gum Arabic coating significantly delayed fruit

ripening and senescence, retarded moisture loss, maintained

quality and extended shelf-life of the two mango cultivars

studied. These effects of waxing and gum Arabic coating on

ripening, quality and shelf-life were reflected in changes in

respiration, weight loss, peel color development, flesh

firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) and ascorbic acid content.

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