For the domestic market, fruits may be packed in ventilated wooden boxes or corrugated cardboard boxes with a net capacity of 18-20 kg. Fruits should not be packed more than two layers deep.
Mangoes destined for the export market should be packed in ventilated cardboard cartons. One-layer flats with dividers with a maximum capacity of 8 kg may be used. If it is necessary to have more than one layer of mangoes in the package unit, then liners should be used to protect fruits from compression damage.
Packaging of mangoes is crucial in obtaining optimal; flavor. The fruits need to be ventilated well within the packages and packing of the fruit in polyethylene-lined cardboard boxes often results in off-flavor development due to accumulation of CO2 and suboptimal decrease in the oxygen concentration leading toward anerobiosis.
Micro-perforated film could prove more beneficial for mangoes packaging, as it prevented the accumulation so high levels of CO2 that can lead to off-flavors.
Biodegradable packaging films such as chitosan were found to be ideal compared with low density polyethylene (LDPE) films in retaining the overall flavor quality of the mangoes.
‘Tommy Atkins’ and ‘Keitt’ fruits could be stored for three weeks at 12 ° C when these were packed in4 kg film-lined cartons by sung micro-perforated polyethylene (PE) or Xtend film (XF). XF film was found to be very effective in reducing chilling injury and lowering the level of condensation inside the package due to lower relative humidity in the XF film (~90%) as compared to PE (~99%).
The use of bags should be avoided for packing mangoes. In addition being stackable, facilitating greater quantities per load for transportation, they offer better ventilation and greater protection against damage than bags.
Packaging for mangoes
