Effect of storage temperatures, O2 concentrations and variety on respiration of mangoes

Effect of storage temperatures, O 2 concentrations and variety on respiration of mangoes The respiration rate of fruits and vegetables is an important indicator of senescence and ethylene production in fruits. Storage temperatures play a major role in the respiration rates of fruits and vegetables. Experiments were conducted to establish the influence of storage temperatures, O 2 concentrations and variety on the respiration of mangoes. The study was conducted on two varieties of mangoes namely, cvs ‘Banganapalli’ and ‘Thothapuri’. Experiments were conducted on a single fruit, weighing approximately 500 g and kept in separate glass bottles stored at 12, 20, 28, and 40 °C. Respiration rates were calculated and presented as the rate of release of CO 2 or the rate of consumption of O 2 . Respiration rates decreased with a decrease in temperature from 40 °C to 12 °C, and with a decrease in O 2 concentration from 21% to 1% in the micro-environment. The respiration rate was faster in ‘Banganapalli’ than in ‘Thothapuri’ as indicated by the CO 2 release rate. The rate of CO 2 release was very slow in mangoes stored at 12 °C in both the varieties and the rate decreased from 8.60 to 8.00 ml kg -1 h -1 in ‘Banganapalli’ variety and from 11.00 to 7.80 ml kg -1 h -1 in ‘Thothapuri’ variety. The respiration rates were faster at higher temperatures and remained low and stable at low temperatures. Using the respiration data, predictive models were developed for calculating the CO 2 release and O 2 consumption patterns.