Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
J. Anim. Plant Sci. [ISSN 2071 - 7024]
Volume 17(3): 2608 - 2618. Published April, 2013.
Evaluation of physical and sensory quality attributes of three mango varieties at three stages of ripeness, grown in lower eastern province of Kenya - part 1
Okoth E. M1; Sila D.N1; Onyango C. A*2 , Owino .W.O1; Musembi S.M1, Mathooko F.M3.
1Department of Food Science and Technology, Jomo Kenyatta University of
Agriculture and Technology, P. O. Box 62000-00200, NAIROBI- Kenya
2Taita Taveta University College, P. O. Box 635 – 80300, VOI, Kenya
3South Eastern Kenya University, P.O Box 170-90200 KITUI, Kenya
*Corresponding author e-mail: cakoth2002@yahoo.co.uk
Key words: Mango varieties, stage of ripeness, physical, sensory attributes, technological utilization.
1 SUMMARY
Physical attributes at three stages of ripeness (unripe, intermediate
and fully ripe) and sensory quality at full ripe stage of Apple, Ngowe
and Kent mango varieties grown in Lower Eastern Province (Machakos and
Kitui) of Kenya were evaluated. They were stored under ambient
temperatures of 25ºC and relative humidity of 65-70. Apple and Ngowe
ripened fully after 7 days whereas Kent took 10 days. The weight and
firmness decreased with increasing ripeness and was accompanied by
notable colour change for all the varieties. Kent had the most firm
skin (5.8KN) and flesh (3.7KN) whereas the softest was Apple with a
skin and flesh firmness of 0.6KN and 0.07KN respectively. There were
clear differences in skin and flesh color in different varieties
(p≤0.5). At the unripe stage, Ngowe exhibited the greenest colour on
the skin, however with increasing ripeness, the skin and flesh colors
turned from green to yellow/orange; the most yellow variety being Kent.
The heaviest variety was Ngowe (˃625g) at unripe stage, while Apple had
the lowest weight (363.46g) at the ripe stage. All the varieties lost
weight with increasing ripeness, with Kent varieties exhibiting the
most remarkable total mean weight loss (˃15g). The highest and lowest
varieties in pulp yield were Apple (75%) and Ngowe (70%) respectively.
The most and least preferred skin fruit colour Kent and Ngowe varieties
with a mean score of 6.54±1.5 and 5.61±1.7 respectively. The most
preferred flesh colour, flavor, taste, texture and overall
acceptability was the Apple varieties, followed by the Ngowe and lastly
Kent variety. This clearly showed that different varieties have
different physical and sensory characteristics where Apple varieties
would be most suitable for fresh consumption and in processing due to
it higher yields than the rest. This study revealed that variety and
stage of ripeness had influence on physical and sensory attributes of
the varieties analyzed.
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