Researchers have developed a technology to enhance the shelf-life of mangoes and contain post-harvest loss in mango orchards.

The prime focus of this project – Enhanced Preservation of mangoes in South Asia – was on minimising post-harvest losses while enhancing availability of fruits and ensuring nutritional security.

At the dissemination workshop, organised by the Department of Nano Science and Technology, TNAU at Theni, Professor Jayasankar Subramanian from the University of Guelph said ‘Hexanal’, a safe chemical compound, could be successfully used to enhance the shelf life and quality of temperate fruits and vegetables.

The TNAU research team conducted experiments which showed that pre-harvest spray of hexanal formulation at 15 and 30 days prior helped retain fruits in the trees itself for about three weeks and further extended the shelf-life by another three weeks during storage or transport.

Researchers at the Nanotechnology Centre are developing banana fibre based nano-matrices to regulate the release of hexanal, a TNAU release said.

comment COMMENT NOW