Application of Integrated Postharvest Technology for Maintaining the Quality of Methyl Bromide Fumigated Mangosteen Fruit

Methyl bromide fumigation aims to control insect infestation in mangosteen fruit before export which leads to the reduction of fruit quality. Thus, the objective of this study was to control the quality of methyl bromide fumigated mangosteen using integrated postharvest technology. The fruits were prepared by fumigating with 32 g m-3 for 2 hours, washed with tap water, and surfaced disinfestation with sodium hypochlorite. The prepared fruit samples were then further divided and treated with different methods as follows; 1) fruit were coated with ethanolic shellac-modified coconut oil (ES-MCO) and then packed in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag containing ethylene inhibitor (1-MCP sachet), 2) fruit were coated with ES-MCO and packed in LDPE bag, 3) fruit were treated with ES-MCO and packed in nylon net bag, and 4) fruit were non-coated and packed in nylon net bag (control). All fruit samples were kept at 13ºC for 20 days (as the shipment simulation) and then transferred to 25ºC for 2 days (as the shelf-life simulation). The results revealed that after 15 days of storage, the fruit treated with ES-MCO + LDPE bag + 1-MCP sachet showed the highest reduction of fruit rot disease and this treatment helped to delay the drying and browning of mangosteen calyx, chlorophyll degradation of the calyx, and reduce weight loss, the respiration rate and ethylene production. However, after storage for 20 days, the pericarp of mangosteen in fruit treated with ES-MCO + LDPE bag + 1-MCP sachet became hard; suggesting that the shelf-life was 15 days.