Use of Chlorella sp. for coating ‘tommy atkins’ mango fruits stored under refrigeration

Abstract

The number of studies on edible coatings that are used for extending the shelf life of fruits has steadily increased. For this purpose, it is necessary to choose raw materials with characteristics that maintain product quality. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of coatings of Chlorella sp. on the post-harvest conservation of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mango fruits. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design, and spray treatments (T) with 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, or 4% of Chlorella sp. were applied to the fruits. After the treatments, the fruits were stored for 28 days (21 days at 10 °C and 42% relative humidity and 7 days at 25 °C and 42% relative humidity), and were analyzed on day 28. There was higher pulp firmness in fruits as the concentration of Chlorella sp. was increased, and the concentration of ascorbic acid was comparatively higher (22.17%) in fruits treated with 3% Chlorella sp. The percentage of soluble solids and the soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio were decreased as the coating concentrations were decreased. The use of Chlorella sp. at 1% and 2% allowed fruit maturation without compromising fruit quality attributes during the 28-day storage period.