EFFECTS OF CHITOSAN AND SOME IMMERSION SOLUTIONS ON THE QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE OF SLICED MANGO

Manually sliced mango was treated with aqueous solutions of 1% chitosan; 2g/l citric acid, 200ppm vitamin E (VE), 200ppm ascorbic acid and 200ppm vitamin E + 1% chitosan. Mango slices were placed in plastic trays and over-wrapped with low density polyethylene (LDPE) film and then stored at 4˚C (±1). Physical and chemical changes (TSS, firmness and weight loss), microbial quality (Total bacterial count, yeasts and moulds, psychrotrophs and Pseudomonas Spp. bacteria) and sensory qualities (appearance, taste, aroma, color and texture) were evaluated. All coated mango slices exhibited smaller loss in weight than uncoated control slices, and the slices coated with chitosan groups showed the lowest weight losses. Generally, all coating treatments significantly enhanced the firmness of mango slices (P < 0.05) regardless coating type. It was obvious from the results that the formulation of VE +chitosan had the highest firmness during all time of storage. Chitosan containing VE formulation maintained the firmness more than chitosan or VE alone. On the other hand, adding of VE to chitosan formulation did not enhance the efficiency of chitosan for preventing the increasing cell load. The results revealed that applying chitosan coating effectively improved the quality attributes and extended the shelf life of mango slices.