Modified atmosphere and modified humidity packaging alleviates chilling injury symptoms in mango fruit

Abstract Storage of mango ( Mangifera indica L. cvs. Tommy Atkins and Keitt) fruits at 12°C caused slight chilling injury (CI) symptoms on the fruit peel, expressed as red spots around the lenticels (lenticel spotting). A modified atmosphere (∼5% CO 2 and ∼10% O 2 ) was created in 4-kg film-lined cartons by using microperforated polyethylene (PE) or Xtend® film (XF). For ‘Keitt’ fruit, a similar atmosphere was also applied using controlled atmosphere chambers. After 3 weeks of storage at 12°C plus 1 week at 20°C, both modified and controlled atmosphere treatments were effective in reducing CI. The most effective reduction was found in fruits that were packed in the XF film. A second advantage of using XF film was the reduction in the level of sap inside the package due to the lower relative humidity in the XF film (∼90%) compared with that of PE packaging (∼99%).