Application of exogenous ethylene on postharvest ripening of refrigerated ‘Ataulfo’ mangoes

Commercial handling of ‘Ataulfo’ mangoes is burdened by lack of uniformity in ripening of the fruit. A viable approach to overcome this problem could be by application of exogenous ethylene. In this work, we evaluated the application to exogenous ethylene on ‘Ataulfo’ mangoes with hot-water treatment after having been stored for 4 days at 13±1 °C, and then transferred to 25±2 °C for ripening. Fruit were exposed to 100, 500 or 1000 μl l−1 ethylene for 6 or 12 h at 25±2 °C. Control fruit were held at 25±2 °C with no previous refrigeration or ethylene exposure; another batch was kept refrigerated for 4 days at 13±1 °C, not treated with ethylene and ripened 25±2 °C. Application of 1000 μl l−1 of ethylene for 12 h caused improper ripening. Best results were observed by application of 100 μl l−1 of ethylene for 12 h, which stimulated the synthesis of 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and increased ACC oxidase activity; these conditions led to a concomitant production of ethylene and the subsequent acceleration of ripening with a net gain of 4 days in the ripening time. External color development of the ethylene-treated fruit was judged as more homogeneous.