Edible chitosan in preserving the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Mango (Mangifera indica) is extremely perishable with a short shelf life that limits its marketability. Chitosan may extend mango storage by preventing moisture loss and gaseous exchange while preserving the nutritional quality. Therefore, the current study was designed to assess the effect of chitosan on the shelf life and quality of fresh-cut mangoes. Manually cubed mango was dipped into 0 (control), 10, 15, 20, 30, and 50 ppm chitosan solution in airtight jar and stored at ambient (25-28 °C) and refrigeration (4 °C) condition. Changes in various microbial, physical, and chemical characteristics were documented to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments in prolonging and sustaining the freshness and quality of mango. Treated mangoes significantly retarded growth of total mold and bacterial counts compared to the control sample in both storage conditions and found it lower under refrigeration. Likewise, chitosan also preserved various fruit quality attributes to a significant extent by retaining vitamin C, fat, titratable acidity, soluble sugar, and protein. However, the refrigerator stored mangoes have better ability to retard moisture loss and drop in sensory quality. Among the other solutions, 10 ppm chitosan solution exhibited better performance in reducing perishability of mango while maintaining prolonged shelf life and quality attributes. Overall, the findings revealed that chitosan solution at low temperature effectively preserves mango quality during storage and offers promising approach for the successful commercialisation of chitosan as a natural preserver for mango sellers and consumers to prolong shelf life.