บทคัดย่องานวิจัย
Effects of X-ray and gamma ray irradiation on the physico-chemical qualities of ‘Nam Doc Mai Si Thong’ mango (Mangifera indica L.).
Wichitkunanan, P., Phakdee, N., Saeng-on, B., Jetawattana, S. and Chaiprasart, P.
Acta Hortic. 1364, 11-26. (2023).
บทคัดย่อ
‘Nam Doc Mai Si Thong’ mango is the major cultivar of mango produced in Thailand. Its apparent sweetness when ripe (16-18 %Brix), creamy smooth pulp, and attractive golden skin color make it popularly desired by international trade. Apart from heat treatment, good practices in postharvest combined with irradiation are usually required for fresh mango as a quarantine measure in some countries. However, overlooking good postharvest treatments prior to irradiation usually causes poor quality of mango when they arrive at their destinations. Subsequently causes the reluctance and misunderstanding blamed for the generic dose of 400 Gy by the exporters. Here we show X-ray and gamma irradiations combined with good practices in postharvest are essential to maintaining physico-chemical properties of mango. It was found that sorting of mango using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) helps in the selection maturity stage at 80% (7-13 %Brix) with the predicted R2 values 0.8125 for total soluble solids (TSS). X-ray and gamma irradiations at 400 Gy significantly decreased ethylene production and respiration rate then delayed mango ripening up to 12 days of storage at 13°C, compared to non-irradiated. Both X-ray and gamma provided no different effect in physico-chemical characteristics. Also, systemic fungicide soaking (300 ppm) in hot water (45°C) effectively decreased anthracnose incidence in irradiated fruits to less than 5% compared to non-treated. Our results demonstrate that the phytosanitary irradiations with X-ray or gamma combined with good practices in postharvest processes are reliable in maintaining premium quality of ‘Nam Doc Mai Si Thong’ mangos and a starting point for other cultivars of mango for export. Furthermore, the premium qualities of ‘Nam Doc Mai Si Thong’ mango and its prolonged shelf life can considerably provide confidence on a commercial scale to exporters.