Response of 1-methylcyclopropene on activities of pectin hydrolases and associated post-harvest physiological changes in different mango cultivars

The effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) @ 1.0 ppm was evaluated for its effectiveness on activities of hydrolases viz., pectin methyl esterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG), firmness, physiological loss in weight, respiration rate, ethylene evolution, chromacity value, TSS and acidity level in relation to softening of tissues in Chausa, Dashehari and Langra mango fruits during storage. The PME activity increased sharply until 4 days of storage and then decreased gradually till 9 days of storage in control fruits. Reduced level of PME activity was observed in 1-MCP treated fruits with similar pattern. Among the cultivars, maximum PME activity was observed in Dashehari and minimum in Chausa. The PG activity increased gradually throughout the storage period in control fruits and was maximum on day 7. The maximum inhibition in PG activity with 1-MCP was noticed in Chausa as compared to Langra and Dashehari. This chemical was also found effective in checking the loss in firmness of fruits along with suppression in respiration and ethylene production throughout the storage period. The fruits treated with 1-MCP showed delayed softening with minimum physiological loss in weight, TSS and other associated attributes in comparison to control.