Effect of Controlled Atmosphere Storage (CAS) on Phosphofructokinase Activity in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Keitt

Abstract

A controlled atmosphere (CA) is an agricultural storage method. It is an atmosphere in which oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen concentration as well as temperature and humidity are regulated. Glycolysis is the basis of both anaerobic respiration and aerobic respiration, and it occurs in nearly all organisms. It is regulated by three enzymes catalyzing nonequilibrium reactions: Hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, and pyruvate kinase. In this work we studied the effect of controlled atmosphere storage (CAS) of mango at 13°C on the activity of phosphofructokinase (PFK) and on fruit quality. This study was carried out on mango fruits (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Keitt. The storage of fruits under the CA retarded ripening and did not affect the quality attributes of Keitt mango. There was a significant decreasing in the activity of PFK as compared with control under (CAS) used in this work. These results indicate a potential for the application of CA for postharvest ripening control of mango. The optimal CA for longterm storage of "Keitt" mango at 13°C is (3% O2 +6% CO2+ 91% N2); under these conditions the storage life of mango can be extended up to 10 weeks.