African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (9), pp. 301-306, September 2003

ISSN 1684-5315  © 2003 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper  

Effect of ripening on the composition and the suitability for jam processing of different varieties of mango (Mangifera indica)

Germain Kansci^1*, Benoit Bargui Koubala¹, Israel Mbome Lape²

¹University of Yaounde I, Department of Biochemistry, PO Box 812 Yaounde, Cameroon.

²Food and Nutrition Research Centre, Ministry of Scientific and Technical Research, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Corresponding author; E-mail: gkansci2000@yahoo.fr, Fax: 00 33 (2) 40 67 50 84. Present address: INRA/LEIMA, B.P. 71627, F44316 Nantes cedex 03, France.

Accepted 22 August 2003

As part of an effort to solve the problem of post harvest losses of fruits, physicochemical characteristics of four mango varieties (Palmer, Améliorée, Mango and Keitt) were determined at two ripening stages. Their suitability for jam processing was also evaluated based on viscosity measurements. The pulps of pre-ripe mangoes were highly acidic (pH: 3.50 – 3.85), rich in starch (4.4 – 11.1 % w/w) as well as in dry matter. They contained less soluble sugars (4.04 – 7.56 g/100 g) and recorded lower viscosity values than those of the ripe mangoes. The pre-ripe Palmer and Améliorée mango varieties had high dry matter content, while the Mango and Améliorée varieties had higher soluble sugars contents. Due to their higher starch contents, all the jams prepared with pre-ripe mangoes were more viscous than the ripe mango preparations. Ripe Palmer and Améliorée varieties were the best for jam processing, based on their viscosity values. These results could help to improve the quality of mango jams.

Key words: Mango, proximate analysis, ripening stage, jam processing.