全 文 ：© 1994-2009 China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. All rights reserved. http://www.cnki.net
园 　艺 　学 　报 　2007, 34 (3) : 579 - 584
Acta Horticulturae Sinica
Rece ived: 2007 - 01 - 12; Accepted: 2007 - 05 - 24
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30471211) , and by Department of Science and Technology of Panzhihua City,
Sichuan Province, P1R1China3 Author for correspondence ( E2mail: tsp@ ns1 ibcas1ac1cn)
Effects of O xa lic Ac id Trea tm ent on M ango Fru it Dur ing
Storage
ZHENG Xiao2lin1, 2 , TIAN Shi2p ing13 , YUE Hong3 , and XU Yong1
(1 Key L abora tory of Photosyn thesis and Environm ental M olecular Physiology, Institu te of B otany, the Chinese A cadem y of Sci2
ences, B eijing 100093, Ch ina; 2B iology D epartm ent, Zhanjiang N orm al U niversity, Zhan jiang, Guangdong 524048, China;
3D epartm ent of Technology, Panzh ihua, S ichuan 617000, China)
Abstract: Mango fruit (M angifera ind ica L. ‘Hongmang 6’) were treated with post2
OA , p re2OA and post2OA, and p re2Ca2 + and post2OA , respectively, and then were stored at
room (25℃) and low temperature (14℃). The results showed that higher firmness index and
lower disease index were observed in treated fruits, and no difference was detected in soluble sol2
id ( SS) and titratable acid ( TA) content between treated and control fruitswhile fruitswere full2
y ripe. It is suggested that these treatments are alternative methods for storage of mango fruits.
Key words: Mango; Fruit; Oxalic acid; Storage
草酸处理对 　果贮藏效果的影响
郑小林 1, 2 , 田世平 13 , 岳　洪 3 , 徐　勇 1
(1 中国科学院植物研究所光合作用与环境分子生理学重点实验室 , 北京 100093; 2 湛江师范学院生物系 , 广东湛江
524048; 3 四川省攀枝花市科技局 , 四川攀枝花 617000)
摘 　要 : 　果 (M angifera ind ica L. ) 栽培种 ‘红 　 6号 ’果实经采后草酸、采前草酸 +采后草酸和采
前钙 +采后草酸处理后 , 在常温 (25℃) 和低温 (14℃) 下贮藏 , 结果发现 3种处理有效缓解了果实硬度
系数下降 , 控制了果实病情发展 , 对果实完全后熟时的可溶性固形物和可滴定酸含量没有产生明显的影响 ,
草酸处理是 　果采后贮藏保鲜可选择的方法。
关键词 : 　果 ; 果实 ; 草酸 ; 贮藏
中图分类号 : S 66717　　文献标识码 : A　　文章编号 : 05132353X (2007) 0320579206
Mango fruits (M angifera ind ica L. ) are classified as climacteric fruit and suffer from a brief shelf2life and
post2harvest deterioration p roblem s as a result of post2harvest disease, insect infestation, and over2rap id ripe2
ning (M itra & Baldwin, 1997). In addition, mango fruits are suscep tible to chilling injury (C I) at tempera2
ture below 13℃, which results in drop of its market value ( Zauberman et al. , 1988; Phakawatmongkol et
al. , 2004). There are many reports in the literature that post2harvest app lication of chem icals such as pesti2
cides / fungicides (Johnson et al. , 1994) , calcium infiltration (Mootoo, 1991) , phosphonate ( Zainuri et al. ,
2001) , salicylic acid ( Zainuri et al. , 2001; Zeng et al. , 2006) , gibberellic acid ( Khader et al. , 1988) ,
2, 42dichlorophenoxyacetic acid ( Kobiler et al. , 2001) can imp rove antioxidation and chill resistance, inhibit
© 1994-2009 China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. All rights reserved. http://www.cnki.net
Acta Horticulturae Sinica Vol. 34
resp iration and ethylene biosynthesis, and retard ripening p rocess and /or control diseases in mango fruits. To
date, alternative chem ical treatments with no side2effect, an attractive cost2benefit ratio, and easy manipula2
tion are still needed for commercial use in many regions, especially in develop ing countries.
Oxalic acid is an organic acid ubiquitously occurring in p lants, fungi, and animals (L ibert & Franceschi,
1987). Recently, oxalic acid app lication for food p reservation has received much attention, as it has been
shown not only to be an anti2browning agent for harvested vegetables (Castaner et al. , 1997) , banana slices
( Yoruk et al. , 2004) , and litchi fruit ( Zheng & Tian, 2006) , but also to be available as a natural antioxi2
dant in the natural and artificial p reservation of oxidized materials ( Kayashima & Katayama, 2002).
Our p revious work has reported that p re2storage oxalic acid treatment (5 mmol·L - 1 dip for 10 m in) in
combination with controlled atmosphere (6% CO2 + 2% O2 , 14℃ ±1℃) extends the storage time and de2
creases the incidence of mango fruit decay ( Zheng et al. , 2005). To better understand the role of oxalic acid
in imp roving the lim ited storage ability of mango fruit, the effects of different oxalic acid treatments on mango
fruit during storage at room and low temperature were investigated in this study.
1　M a ter ia ls and M ethods
Mango fruits, Hongmang 6, grew at a commercial orchard in Panzhihua City, P. R. China and were
sp rayed with water, 3% CaCl2 and 5 mmol·L - 1 oxalic acid solution, respectively, before app rox. 25 - 28 d
as fruits harvested.
The p re2treated fruits were harvested as they were develop ing about 80% matured stage, and then were
selected for uniform ity of size and appearance. After the selected fruitwere cooled for about 3 h in a room at a2
bout 25℃ near the orchard, fruits were post2treated with different chem icals as follows: ( 1 ) Pre2water +
post2water: the fruits p re2sp rayed with water were dipped in water for 10 m in at 25℃ ( as control). (2) Pre2
water + post2P: the fruits p re2sp rayed with water were dipped in 1 /10 000 thiophanate solution (one pesti2
cide) for 10 m in at 25℃. ( 3 ) Pre2water + post2OA: the fruits p re2sp rayed with water were dipped in 5
mmol·L - 1 oxalic acid for 10 m in at 25℃. (4) Pre2OA + post2OA: the fruits p re2sp rayed with oxalic acid
were dipped in 5 mmol·L - 1 oxalic acid for 10 m in at 25℃. (5) Pre2Ca + post2OA: the fruits p re2sp rayed
with CaCl2 dipped in 5 mmol·L - 1 oxalic acid for 10 m in at 25℃.
A ll post2treated fruits were air2dried, and about 15 kg fruits of each treatment were p laced in separate
cartons and transported to Beijing laboratory by train ( at about 25℃). Upon arrival at the laboratory, 30 fruits
without injury for each treatment were p laced inside a clean p lastic box with fruit touching, and each box was
wrapped in a 0102 mm polyethylene bag. Five p lastic boxes for each treatment were stored at 25℃±1℃, and
another 5 p lastic boxes for each treatment were stored at 14℃±1℃ for 3 weeks and then transferred to 25℃
at app rox. 70% RH for 3 d.
The index of fruit firmness and disease, total soluble solids content ( SSC) , titratable acids ( TA ) were e2
valuated at 32day intervals and weekly during the storage at room and low temperature, respectively.
Three p lastic boxes for each treatment stored at room or at low temperature were observed to evaluate fruit
firmness index and disease index (D I) during the storage. Fruit firmness index was assessed by hand p ressure
and scored using a firmness index scale ( Kobiler et al. , 2001) from extremely firm ( 9) to soft ripe ( 1).
Firmness index was calculated using the formula: Σ ( firmness scale ×percentage of fruitwithin each firmness
class).
D isease index for fruit was assessed by assessing the extent of total decayed area on each fruit surface u2
085
© 1994-2009 China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. All rights reserved. http://www.cnki.net
No. 3 ZHENG Xiao2lin et al. : Effects of Oxalic Acid Treatment on Mango Fruit During Storage
sing the following scale ( Zheng et al. , 2005) : 0 = no visible decay; 1 = < 1% decay spots; 2 = 1% -
20% decayed; 3 = 20% - 50% decayed; and 4 = > 50% decayed. The disease index was calculated using
the formula: Σ ( disease scale ×number of fruit in each class) / ( number of total fruit ×highest disease
scale) ×100.
Juice samp les were obtained from 6 flesh discs ( each about 5 mm deep under the peel; 10 mm thick 13
mm in diameter) , two discs were taken per fruit from the opposite sides of 3 fruit on the longer transverse ax2
is. Soluble solid content ( SSC) of fruit juice was determ ined using a refractometer (10481 S/N, USA ). 10 g
of fruit flesh tissue ( from 5 mm deep under the peel) from opposite sides of 3 fruits on the longer transverse
axis was homogenised with 25 mL distilled water and filtered. TA was determ ined by titration to pH 811 with
011 mol·L - 1 NaOH and exp ressed as the amount of citric acid per 100 g fresh mass. Three fruits were taken
as one rep licate, and three rep licates were carried out.
The experimentwas carried out in 2 consecutive growing years (2004 - 2005). Results obtained in differ2
ent years were sim ilar, and results of 2005 are p resented.
Data rep resent the means of rep licates S1D. They were also analyzed by one way analysis of variance
(ANOVA) using SPSS version 1115 ( SPSS Inc. , Chicago, IL , USA). D ifferences between means were test2
ed using Duncanpis multip le comparison p rocedure at 5% level.
2　Results and Ana lysis
211　Effects of d ifferen t trea tm en ts on fru it f irmness index and d isea se index of mango fru it
Fruits treated with p re2water + post2OA, p re2OA + post2OA and p re2Ca + post2OA p resented signifi2
cantly higher fruit firmness index after storage at 25℃ at 9, 12 and 15 d, respectively, as compared with Pre2
water + post2water ( control) and p re2water + post2P ( Fig. 1, A ). The firmness index of fruits in the three
F ig. 1　Changes of f irmness index and d isea se index in mango fru it w ith d ifferen t trea tm en ts
dur ing the storage a t room and low tem pera ture
Data are means of three rep licates ±SE. D ifferent letters indicate
significant differences among treatments ( P < 0105) .
185
© 1994-2009 China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. All rights reserved. http://www.cnki.net
Acta Horticulturae Sinica Vol. 34
treatments were also significant higher than that Pre2water + post2water ( control) and p re2water + post2P for
21 d in storage at 14℃, but no significant difference was observed among treatments as fruit ripened at 25℃ at
3 d after storage at 14℃ for 3 weeks ( Fig. 1, B).
D I increased in mango fruits during storage at 25℃ and at 14℃. However, the three treatments resulted
in significantly lower D I after storage at 25℃ for at least 6 d, and at 14℃ for 21 d, respectively, compared to
p re2water + post2water ( control) and p re2water + post2P ( Fig. 1, C). For fruit ripened at 25℃ for 3 d af2
ter storage at 14℃ for 3 weeks, the D I for the three treatments fruits was also significant lower than that of
control fruit, but did not p resent significant difference as compared with p re2water + post2P ( Fig. 1, D).
212　Effects of d ifferen t trea tm en ts on SSC and TA of mango fru it
Compared to the control and p re2water + post2P, the three oxalic acid treatments did not result in signifi2
cant change in SSC after 15 d of storage at 25℃, 21 d of storage at 14℃, and at 25℃ for 3 d after storage at
14℃ for 3 weeks, respectively ( Table 1).
Table 1　Changes of SSC in mango fru it w ith d ifferen t trea tm en ts a t la tter tim e of
storage a t room and low tem pera ture ( % )
处理 Treatment
25℃±1℃
15 d 18 d
14℃±1℃
21 d (21 + 3) d
Pre2water + post2water (Control) 10198 ±0191 a 10140 ±1179 a 10118 ±0150 a 11128 ±2163 a
Pre2water + post2P 11118 ±0183 a 11175 ±0155 a 11153 ±1147 a 12102 ±1173 a
Pre2water + post2OA 11112 ±1118 a 12148 ±1109 a 11150 ±0148 a 12153 ±0180 a
Pre2OA + post2OA 9143 ±1123 a 10114 ±1113 a 11107 ±1177 a 11163 ±1144 a
Pre2Ca + post2OA 9126 ±2113 a 10166 ±0140 a 10122 ±0123 a 11105 ±0188 a
　　Note: Data are means of three experiments ±S1E1 D ifferent letters indicate significant differences among treatments ( P < 0105) .
TA in control fruits was the lowest whereas, in p re2OA + post2OA was the highest at 15 d of storage at
25℃, and TA in fruits in three different oxalic acid treatments was significantly higher at 15 d, but not at 18
d as compared with p re2water + post2water ( control) and p re2water + post2P ( Table 2). TA in p re2water +
post2OA fruits was significantly higher at 21 d of storage at 14℃ as compared with control and p re2water +
post2P. In addition, TA in all treated fruits markedly decreased as fruit ripened at 25℃ for 3 d after storage at
14℃ for 3 weeks, and no significant difference in TA p resented among different treatments ( Table 2).
Table 2　Changes of TA in mango fru it w ith d ifferen t trea tm en ts a t la tter tim e of storage a t
room and low tem pera ture (mg·g - 1 FM)
处理 Treatment
25℃±1℃
15 d 18 d
14℃±1℃
21 d (21 + 3) d
Pre2water + post2water (Control) 1156 ±0100 e 1105 ±0100 a 1164 ±0112 b 0170 ±0100 a
Pre2water + post2P 2111 ±0112 d 1125 ±0107 a 1169 ±0107 b 0190 ±0107 a
Pre2water + post2OA 3194 ±0118 b 1133 ±0107 a 2138 ±0107 a 0178 ±0107 a
Pre2OA + post2OA 4176 ±0107 a 1125 ±0118 a 1160 ±0107 b 0159 ±0112 a
Pre2Ca + post2OA 2185 ±0107 c 1137 ±0100 a 2103 ±0107 ab 0190 ±0107 a
　　Note: Data are means of three experiments ±S1E1 D ifferent letters indicate significant differences among treatments ( P < 0105) .
3　D iscussion s
Textural softening during ripening and storage, a crucial phenomenon directly affecting mango fruit shelf
life and quality, is essentially due to depolymerization of the cellwall polysaccharides by a variety of hydrolytic
enzymes such asβ2galactosidase, β2glucanase, cellulase, polygalacturonase, pectin esterase and pectin meth2
285
© 1994-2009 China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. All rights reserved. http://www.cnki.net
No. 3 ZHENG Xiao2lin et al. : Effects of Oxalic Acid Treatment on Mango Fruit During Storage
ylesterase ( El2Zoghbi, 1994; Ketsa et al. , 1998; A li et al. , 2004). Moreover, the disease resistance in
mango fruit decreases during ripening as physiological and biochem ical changes associated with the ripening
p rocess p lay an important role in increasing the suscep tibility of fruit to pathogen infection and in develop ing
quiescent disease, which results in markedly increasing in diseases and decay incidence ( Prusky, 1998). W e
found that the treatments including p re2water + post2OA, p re2OA + post2OA and p re2Ca + post2OA, signif2
icantly slowed softening rate and decreased in disease index of mango fruit during storage at 25℃ and at 14℃
( Fig. 1). Thus, the three oxalic acid treatments could effectively imp rove the lim ited storage ability of mango
fruits during storage.
SSC and TA are considered as useful parameters for determ ining the quality of mango fruit (Murthy & Go2
palakrishna Rao, 1982). Previous work has reported that oxalic acid treatment retards significantly the in2
crease of SSC and decrease of TA of mango fruit during storage at room temperature ( Zheng et al. , 2007) , at
low temperature, or at controlled atmosphere ( Zheng et al. , 2005). However, there was no significant differ2
ence in SSC and TA between the three oxalic acid treatments and the control, while fruits were fully ripe ( Ta2
ble 1 and Table 2). Therefore, it was seemed that the three oxalic acid treatments did not impair fruit quality
as assessed by SSC and TA measurements.
Oxalic acid has been considered as an anti2nutrient due to its inhibitory effect on m ineral bioavailability
and its formative effect on calcium oxalate urinary stones (W eaver et al. , 1997; Massey et al. , 2001). How2
ever, oxalic acid is available as a natural antioxidant and may p lay an important role in the natural and artifi2
cial p reservation of oxidized materials ( Kayashima & Katayama, 2002). Solutions ( 10 - 50 g/L ) of oxalic
acid have been app lied as a browning inhibitor on harvested vegetables (CastaÌer et al. , 1997).
To date postharvest disease control of mango fruit, in many countries including China, mainly relies on
treatment with chem ical fungicides ( Kuo, 2001). It is well known that p roblem s associated with the use of
synthetic fungicides such as the p roliferation of resistant strains of the pathogens or concerns about public heath
and environmental contam ination have increased the need for development of alternative treatments. Moreover,
oxalic acid contributes to induced system ic resistance in p lants ( Toal & Jones, 1999). Our p revious work has
reported that oxalic acid treatment decreases the decay incidence in mango fruit, which is mainly attributed to
delaying the ripening p rocess not to inducing system ic resistance ( Zheng et al. , 2007). The evidences of this
work p resented that p re2water + post2OA , p re2OA + post2OA and p re2Ca + post2OA effectively controlled
diseases in mango fruit during storage at room temperature and low temperature. Thus, it is suggested that
these treatments are alternative and p rom ising methods for storage of mango fruits.
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