This manual provides instructions on ripening mangoes and will assist businesses at any point in supply chains, from producer to retailer, to operate a ripening facility.
The following page shows a flow diagram of the typical steps in ripening mangoes. To plan the ripening schedule, the fruit condition and prior handling practices must be checked on arrival at the facility. Depending on customer orders and the space available in the ripening rooms, the mangoes may be ripened immediately or stored prior to ripening.
Section 2 contains a decision tree and guidance on how long mangoes can be stored before ripening. The storage potential before ripening depends on the variety, ripeness and pulp temperature on arrival and the fruit age (days from packing).
There are 3 recommended options:
Option 1: 7-10 days storage potential
Option 2: 5-7 days storage potential
Option 3: Ripen immediately and do not store
Section 3 contains recommended ripening conditions (temperature, ethylene, humidity, room venting) and a guide to how long mangoes take to ripen with or without ethylene treatment.
Section 4 provides recommended storage periods for 4 varieties following ripening – Kensington Pride, R2E2, Honey Gold, and CalypsoTM.
Section 5 provides guidance on operating ripening and storage rooms. It includes information on the various types of ethylene injection systems, venting of rooms to remove carbon dioxide, monitoring of fruit ripeness and room conditions, and effective temperature management for operating a forced-air ripening system and a storage room.
Section 6 will help identify common fruit quality problems that occur during ripening. Each quality problem has a photograph and description of the symptoms, information on what causes the problem and how it can be minimized or prevented. The section also contains answers to frequently asked questions about mango ripening.
The appendices contain information on completing a receival assessment of the quality and ripeness of fruit on arrival at the ripening facility, assessing skin colour and firmness, harvesting periods for a range of varieties and production districts throughout Australia, and a list of contacts and references.