Multi-trait Characterization of Twenty-eight Mango Cultivars for Fruit Quality, Market Suitability and Ambient Shelf Life

Suhrita Chakrabarty Das; Kankana Sarkar; Fatik Kumar Bauri; Karabi Biswas

doi:10.48165/aabr.2027.4.01.06

Abstract

Twenty-eight indigenous and exotic mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars were characterized in West Bengal, India, for morphological, physical, physicochemical, sensory and ambient shelf-life traits. Fruits were obtained from a single orchard during one season, and the comparative analyses used cultivar-level summary values (n = 28). Fruit weight ranged from 87 to 535 g and pulp weight from 30 to 365 g; fruit weight and pulp weight were strongly related (r = 0.928; FDR-adjusted q < 0.001). Total soluble solids (TSS) ranged from 5.0 to 22.0 °Brix, titratable acidity from 0.15 to 0.45%, and firmness from 2.5 to 12.0 kg cm⁻². After Benjamini-Hochberg correction across 78 pairwise correlations, the previously noted associations of taste with TSS, aroma and firmness were not all statistically supported. Principal component analysis of 13 standardized traits showed that PC1 and PC2 explained 30.7% and 16.5% of the variance, respectively; five components had eigenvalues >1 and together explained 76.4%. A sensitivity analysis excluding Chitalkhas, which had an unusually low TSS value (5.0 °Brix), preserved the broad PCA structure but weakened the TSS-taste association. Osteen and Dofala had the longest recorded ambient shelf-life ranges (12–15 d), whereas Manjeera, Chiang Mai and BARI-4 were notable for high fruit or pulp weight. Shelf-life values were derived from previously recorded thesis ranges rather than replicate-level measurements with a uniform quantitative endpoint. Accordingly, the results are preliminary cultivar-level comparisons that require replicated, multi-season validation using standardized maturity and shelf-life criteria.

Keywordsambient storagecultivar characterizationmarket suitabilitysensory evaluation

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