Maturity of the fruit is an important parameter for quality and shelf life. Harvesting of the fruit at right maturity leads to quality production and fetches maximum returns. Mango, a tropical fruit, has well established maturity indices based on TSS, acid sugar ratio determined by destructive method. There were also common sensory methods to judge maturity like powder on surface, colour etc. An attempt was made to assess the maturity of mango fruit (cv. Dashehri) by non-destructive means. Changes in colour using HunterLab miniScan XE plus, total soluble solids by refractometer and firmness on texture analyzer of growing mango were studied at different days of harvest. Yellowness index (YI), a measure of maturity, showed a slight increase as the surface green colour started decreasing with date of harvest. Firmness of the fruits increased initially up to the period of optimum maturity and then started decreasing. Yellowness index, TSS and firmness were correlated to find the optimum stage of maturity of the fruits, which will be helpful in harvesting the fruits on the basis of surface colour. YI and firmness were found to be 63.46 and 24.06 N, respectively, for fully matured mango with a TSS content of 12.18°B.
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