Mango - Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology - page 115

2004b; Nair et al . 2003; Singh et al . 2004). The effect of
other factors on aroma volatile production in mango, which
include rootstock, polyamines, hot-water and fungicide
treatments (Dang et al . 2008b), and edible coatings (Dang
et al . 2008a), have been recently investigated by our
research group. Among major volatile compounds, terpenes
are the most abundant group of compounds followed by
esters, ketones and lactones. Most of the fatty acids
increased during fruit ripening. In a study on 'Kensington
Pride' mango, sixty-one aroma volatile compounds were
identified, of which 35 compounds have not been reported
previously in this cultivar (Lalel et al . 2003a).
(+)-Spathulenol and β-maaliene were reported for the first
time in mango fruit. The most abundant group of volatile
compounds was hydrocarbons, accounting for about 59%
of the total identified compounds, followed by esters
(20%). α-Terpinolene was the major compound during the
first 7 days of ripening and later ethyl octanoate became
the major compound. Except for car-3-ene, the concentra-
tion of major monoterpenes increased for the first 3 or 4
days and decreased afterwards. Most of the major
sesquiterpenes were intensively synthesised in the early
part of the ripening process. The production of three major
esters increased quite sharply during fruit ripening. It
appeared that production of terpenes was parallel with
production of ethylene, whilst production of esters
appeared to be associated with production of fatty acids
(Lalel et al . 2003a). The extensive data available on the
aroma volatile compounds in different cultivars under
various conditions may be used to build an aroma digital
library or database which can serve as a benchmark for
designing and developing electronic sensory devices. Such
data would also be of utmost importance for the prepara-
tion of aroma descriptors that can be used by sensory
panels. The volatile compounds emitted during different
stages of ripening can serve as markers to develop
biosensors which can be incorporated in the intelligent
packaging system to allow the importer or consumer to
judge the degree of ripeness of fruit just by looking at the
package label. Such a versatile utility of aroma research in
the proposed direction can be instrumental in promoting
the international trade of mango fruit.

palmitic acid to palmitoleic acid, and fruit aroma
(Bandyopadhyay & Gholap 1973a). The ripening
conditions strongly influence the total fatty acid content in
ripe mango fruit. With the increase in ripening temperature
up to 30°C, the total fatty acid content increased during
ripening of 'Kensington' mango. Except palmitic,
palmitoelic and linolenic acids, all other major fatty acids
increased during ripening (Lalel et al . 2004b). The fatty
acid composition in fruit pulp has direct relationship with
the aroma and flavour of mango fruit (Bandyopadhyay &
Gholap 1973b). A relation between aroma and flavour of
the fruit and the ratio of palmitic acid to palmitoleic has
been proposed. If the ratio was less than 1, the fruit had a
strong aroma and if more than 1, the fruit had a mild aroma
(Bandyopadhyay & Gholap 1973b). An unusual fatty acid,
named mangiferic acid ( cis -9, cis -15-octadecadienoic
acid), has been identified in the pulp of mango fruit which
constitutes 5.4% of total acyl groups in the pulp lipids;
whereas a common octadecadienoic acid, linoleic acid, is a
minor component (1.1%) in the same lipids (Shibahara
et al . 1993).
The total phenol content is higher in skin than pulp
during all developmental stages of mango fruit (Kondo
et al . 2005). The reduction of polyphenolics in the skin
during ripening might be responsible for reduced disease
resistance. Simultaneously, the total phenols in pulp
decreases, which is responsible for removal of astringency
in the fruit. Characterization of polyphenolics of mango
(cv. 'Tommy Atkins') showed that there are 18 gallotan-
nins and five benzophenone derivatives in skin which are
tentatively identified as galloylated maclurin and iriflophe-
none glucosides; no benzophenone derivatives and eight
gallotannins are present in the pulp (Berardini et al . 2004).
Gallotannins quantified by the rhodanine assay amounted
to 1.4 mg/g dm in the skin (expressed as gallic acid), while
only small amounts (0.2 mg/g dm) are detected in the pulp
(Berardini et al . 2004).

RIPENING CONDITIONS
The ripening process of mango fruit involves numerous
biochemical changes including increased respiration, eth-
ylene production, fruit softening, chlorophyll degradation,
carotenoid synthesis and several other metabolic activities
leading to changes in carbohydrates, organic acids, lipids,
phenolics and volatile compounds (Gomez-Lim 1993).
The ripening process takes place within 4 to 8 days
post-harvest at ambient temperature depending on cultivar
and harvest maturity. The conditions during fruit ripening
influence the rate of ripening and the quality of the ripe
fruit. The optimum ripening temperature may vary among

Lipids and phenols
Lipid components in mangoes, though found in minor
quantities, are presumed to contribute to the characteristic
aroma and flavour of mangoes. Total lipids, as well as glyc-
erides of the fruit pulp, increased during ripening of
'Alphonso' mango accompanied by a rapid change in fatty
acid composition, particularly with respect to the ratio of