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Journal of Food Science and Technology logoLink to Journal of Food Science and Technology
. 2022 Jun 4;59(8):3063–3072. doi: 10.1007/s13197-022-05479-0

Flash vacuum expansion: an alternative with potential for Ataulfo and Manila mango processing

Ubaldo Richard Marín-Castro 1, Marco Salgado-Cervantes 1, Dominique Pallet 2,3, Manuel Vargas-Ortiz 4,✉, Adrien Servent 2,3
PMCID: PMC9304513  PMID: 35872740

Abstract

Mangoes of the Manila and Ataulfo varieties are characterized by having a pleasant flavor and an attractive color of both the peel and pulp. However, due to their post-harvest physiology, they are highly perishable and very susceptible to physical damage, which greatly limits marketing these fruits. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate technologies that preserve their organoleptic and nutritional properties. There is also an increasing demand of products that are as natural as possible where only physical processes are used in their preparation to reduce the use of chemical compounds. A technology that satisfies these demands is the flash vacuum-expansion (FVE) process. In Ataulfo mango, the FVE process increased soluble solids by approximately 9% and total phenolic content from 100.9 to 122.8 mg GAE/100 g of puree, which led to an increase in antioxidant capacity of the puree, as well as slightly improving color stability. However, further optimization of this method of processing mango is required.

Keywords: Flash vacuum expansion, Physicochemical properties, Mango puree

Introduction

World mango production is estimated to be 42 million tons per year, of which India is the largest producer with 18 million tons per year, followed by China, Kenya, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Mexico. Mexico is the largest exporter of mango, with 1.88 million tons (Altendorf, 2017). The most important mango varieties in Mexico, Manila and Ataulfo, which represent one out of every four Mexican mangoes, have a designation of origin (SAGARPA 2016). Ataulfo and Manila mangoes are characterized by having a pleasant flavor as well as an attractive color of both their peel and pulp. The preservation of highly perishable fruits constitutes a great challenge for agro-industries. These industries have mainly focused on processing methods that preserve the nutritional and sensory attributes of the fruits and expanding the market for the consumption of fruit pulps (Vendrametto et al. 2011). The terms pulp and puree are sometimes used interchangeably. So in this paper, the term tropical fruit puree will be used for a product obtained by sieving, grinding, and milling of fruit native to, or grown, in tropical regions, without removing the juice. The increasing consumption of tropical fruit purees is promoted by several factors including the growing segment of prepared baby foods, the use of fruit puree as the basis for beverage development, and the consumer's desire for convenience foods. Tropical fruit purees are also used as ingredients in other industries such as the jam, bakery, and confectionery industries (CPI 2018). Climacteric fruits like mango are suitable for industrialization because they provide higher uniformity in the maturation process. However, due to their post-harvest physiology, the Manila and Ataulfo varieties are highly perishable (Silva and Abud 2017) and susceptible to physical damage, unlike other mango varieties, which greatly limits their marketing. In addition, these varieties are grown in areas with phytosanitary barriers that reduce marketing fresh fruits (SAGARPA 2016). As a result of new health habits, consumers are reducing their consumption of chemical preservatives and ultra-processed food and increasingly looking for minimally processed products. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the potential of technologies that allow the generation of fruit purees through a minimal process which preserves the initial quality of fresh fruits. In this context, the flash vacuum-expansion (FVE) process was evaluated for the generation of ready-to-eat mango puree. FVE originated as a food process which aimed to disintegrate the tissues of both animal and plant origin (Cogat 1994). It has been used for pre-treatment of grapes destined for wine production due to its high efficiency for cell disruption, which promotes the release of beneficial phenolic compounds (Ageron et al 1995). The cell rupture generated during the FVE process is obtained through pressure and temperature differences, that promote a phase change (liquid to vapor) of part of the water that makes up the plant tissues. The FVE process consists of two stages, the first of which consists in placing the plant material in a chamber at atmospheric pressure (101 kPa) and heating between 60 and 90 °C, using a flow of water vapor. In the second stage, the material is quickly introduced into an expansion chamber at room temperature and under vacuum pressure (2–5 kPa). In this step, part of the water that constitutes the plant tissue expands, increasing up to 1000 times in volume, which leads to cellular rupture and contributes to a rapid decrease in temperature of the final product (Vargas-Ortiz et al. 2017). The FVE process has been evaluated for generating fruit purees from grapes, guava, passion fruit, orange, and avocado. Results have shown that purees generated by this process presented greater stability in their quality attributes such as color, pH, °Brix, titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity, nutritional properties, and viscosity; likewise, a reduction in the enzymatic activity and greater stability in the lipid fractions of the purees was observed (Brat et al. 2002; Vargas-Ortiz et al. 2017; Salgado et al 2019). It has been proved that the FVE process is more efficient in matrices with higher water content. However, it is important to consider the color of the fruit peel when using the flash vacuum-expansion process, since both the pigments in the peel and seed are incorporated into the final puree. If the color in these parts is different to the color from the pulp, this can generate a different appearance to what the consumer is expecting. Another essential aspect for the selection of the type of fruit to be processed by FVE is the proportion of the seed in the fruit (Salgado et al. 2019). Ataulfo and Manila mangoes are highly perishable, have a high moisture content and the color of their peel is the same as that of their pulp, therefore, they are considered fruits with a high potential for FVE processing.

Materials and methods

Plant material

Mangoes of the Manila variety were used (average weight 215 g, yellow skin and pulp) that were grown in Veracruz, Mexico, as well as mangoes of the Ataulfo variety (average weight 325 g, yellow-orange skin and pulp) grown in Chiapas, Mexico. Fruits were washed with chlorinated water (20% v/v), selected homogeneously regarding their weight and then grouped into batches of approximately one kilogram. The fruits of both varieties were used when they were ripe for consumption.

Pilot equipment for the flash vacuum expansion process and applied treatments

For the application of the FVE process, pilot equipment made of food-grade stainless steel was used, consisting of a cylindrical heating chamber (radius = 12 cm; height = 24 cm; V = 2.7 L; at 103 kPa) coupled by a pneumatic door to an expansion chamber (radius = 30 cm; height = 48 cm; volume = 34 L; vacuum pressure = 3 kPa). For each treatment, approximately one kilogram of intact fruit was placed in the heating chamber and subjected to the steam flow (99 ± 1 °C) for two different durations (7 and 10 min), depending on the average time required to reach between 60 and 65 °C at the core of the fruits. This temperature range was selected as a limit so as not to compromise the stability of the thermolabile compounds present in the mango. Then, the pneumatic door that connects the heating chamber with the expansion chamber was activated and the fruits passed in a fraction of a second to the expansion chamber. The internal temperature from three different parts of the fruits during the thermal stage, and of the puree in the expansion stage, was recorded every five seconds using electric thermocouples PT100 (Ahlborn, Town, Germany) that were connected to a data logger Almemo 2690-8 (Ahlborn, Town, Germany) and inserted at an average depth of 4 cm until touching the seed. Furthermore, for each variety, a control puree was generated, using only the fruit pulp in a Thermomix TM31 food processor (Vorwerk, Wuppertal, Germany) equipped with a temperature regulator. The following treatments were evaluated: Manila treatment 1 (MT1): five whole fruits subjected to the steam flow for 7 min; Manila treatment 2 (MT2): five whole fruits subjected to steam flow for 10 min; Manila control (MC): Manila mango puree generated in the food processor; Ataulfo treatment 1 (AT1): four whole fruits subjected to the steam flow for 7 min; Ataulfo treatment 2 (AT2): four whole fruits subjected to steam flow for 10 min; Ataulfo control (AC): Ataulfo mango puree generated by the food processor. After the time of exposure to the steam flow for each treatment, the fruits were quickly transferred to the expansion chamber where the tissue disintegration occurred, the puree was recovered (yield of 65% for two verieties) and passed through a 2-mm diameter sieve to separate the seed and peel fragments. The puree was placed in airtight plastic polypropylene containers of 200 mL and stored at 5 °C for 15 days. All the purees were stored without the addition of any preservative; during storage the pH, titratable acidity, °Brix, color, and antioxidant capacity were monitored every five days. Each treatment (AT1, AT2, AC, MT1, MT2, MC) was performed in triplicate while the analysis of the parameters was performed in duplicate.

Titratable acidity and pH

Titratable acidity was determined according to the methodology provided by the AOAC (1995). Ten grams of puree were diluted with 50 mL of distilled water (pH equal to 7). A 50 mL aliquot of the extract was taken, and was titrated with a 0.1 N NaOH solution in a Mettler Toledo Model T-50 automatic titrator, equipped with a DG-S111 model electrode, until it reached a pH of 8.2. The acidity was determined as % citric acid per gram of puree. The pH was determined directly in the puree by using the equipment described above.

Total soluble solids (TSS)

The TSS content was determined by placing a drop of the filtrate previously obtained from the extract (10 g sample + 50 mL of neutral distilled water) in a Mettler Toledo model RM-40 refractometer with compensated temperature, previously calibrated with air and distilled water. The results obtained were multiplied by the dilution factor (water and pulp) and were expressed in °Brix.

Total phenolics and antioxidant capacity by the ORAC method (oxygen radical absorbance capacity)

An aliquot of 2.5 g of mango puree was homogenized with 10 mL of methanol–water (80–20 V/V) by magnetic stirring at 200 rpm for two hours at 25 °C in the absence of light. Subsequently, the mixture was centrifuged at 10,000× g for 15 min at 4 °C, the supernatant was recovered in amber jars and frozen at −80 °C until use. The supernatant was used as mango extract for the quantification of total phenols and the ORAC assay. Total phenols were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric test, absorbance was measured at 765 nm, and calibration curves were realized from 0 to 1000 mg of gallic acid/mL. Phenols were expressed as equivalent milligrams of gallic acid (mg GAE/100 g of puree). The ORAC test was performed as described by Sogi et al. (2012), 150 μL of fluorescein (20 nM) was added to the designated wells of a 96-well black plate, followed by the addition of 25 μL of blank, reference standards or samples to the designated wells. The mixture was incubated at 37 °C for 30 min in a Synergy Model HT Microplate Reader (BioTek, Inc, USA), then 25 µL of 2,2-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride was added to all samples. For 30 min, fluorescence was monitored, and its value was recorded every 2 min using 485 nm excitation and 528 nm emission. Trolox in concentrations of 25–1500 µM was used for a calibration curve and the antioxidant capacity was expressed as µM Trolox equivalents per 100 g of fresh puree.

Color

Color measurements of purees were made using a portable CR-400 tristimulus colorimeter (Minolta ChromaMeter CR 400, Osaka, Japan) and Spectra-Match software, set to L *, a *, b * mode. Color angle (°Hue) on the puree was determined using the following formula:

Hue=tan-1b∗a∗

Statistical analysis

Data were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine significant differences (p < 0.05). Using the SAS statistical package (statistical analysis system v. 8.0) the averages were compared by Tukey's test using the same software. Treatments and measurements of each parameter were performed in triplicate. The averages with standard deviations are shown on the graphs.

Results and discussion

Titratable acidity

Figure 1a shows the evolution of titratable acidity in mango purees generated by FVE and the control puree. It was observed that the variety had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the titratable acidity variable, while there was no significant effect (p  > 0.05) of time of exposure to steam flow in the different treatments on the same variety. However, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed regarding the control puree of each variety. In the present study, the Manila mango purees presented higher titratable acidity than the Ataulfo ones. This coincides with the results reported by Almanza et al. (2016), who physically and chemically characterized six varieties of mangoes, and reported that at the end of the ripening process, Manila mangoes presented a higher acidity than Ataulfo mangoes. Similarly, García and Durán (2015), evaluated the ripening process of Manila and Ataulfo mangoes. The authors reported that Manila mangoes had higher acidity than Ataulfo mangoes. The differences in the content of organic acids between the 2 mango varieties (Manila vs Ataulfo) can be attributed to several factors, mainly agro-climatic factors such as irrigation, daylight hours and cultivation practices, which favor the development of one or another variety in a given cultivation area (Famiani et al., 2015). It is suggested that there is not only one mechanism, but rather several different ones, that can use a series of metabolic pathways that determine the variety-dependent differences in the organic acid content of the fruit (Famiani et al. 2015). For Manila mango purees in particular, the samples (MT1, MT2) generated by FVE showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between them with values of citric acid in the range of 0.057–0.059%. However, these purees have a higher acidity (p < 0.05) than the control puree of this variety (MC), which presented values of citric acid in the range of 0.054–0.055%. These values are consistent with those reported by Díaz-Sobac et al. (1996), Leon et al. (1996), and Vela et al. (2003), who reported values of citric acid between 0.02 and 0.05%. The Ataulfo mango purees showed similar behavior. The purees (AT1, AT2) generated by FVE, presented no difference (p > 0.05) in the citric acid content, with values that fluctuated between 0.046 and 0.049%, while the control puree (AC) of this variety, presented lower acidity with values between 0.043 and 0.045%. These values are consistent with the values reported by Salvador-Figueroa et al. (2011) and Moalemiyan et al. (2012). The increase in titratable acidity in the purees generated by FVE can be attributed to the fact that the FVE process promotes an increase in the volume of the water contained in the vacuoles, which causes cell breakdown and therefore a greater release of organic acids, which are mostly stored in vacuoles. Cellular vacuoles have been identified as a storage place for organic acids in the plant cell (Etienne et al. 2013). It was observed that the titratable acidity of all the purees remained stable during storage, without any significant difference between the initial and final values of each treatment. This was due to the effect of storage temperature (5 ± 1 °C).

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

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Changes in titratable acidity (a) and pH (b) in mango puree generated by flash vacuum-expansion process and stored for 15 days at 5° C

pH

Concerning the pH values (Fig. 1b), no significant differences were found between any of the treatments. The values fluctuated between 4.9 and 5.3. These values coincide with other authors that have reported ranges between 4.0 and 5.25 for Ataulfo mangoes (Montalvo et al 2007; Salvador-Figueroa et al. 2011; Moalemiyan et al. 2012) and from 3.8 to 5.5 for Manila mangoes (Díaz-Sobac et al. 1996; Leon et al. 1996; Morales-de la Peña et al. 2018). Similarly, the pH remained stable without showing any trend in the different treatments. This can also be due to the effect of storage temperature.

Total soluble solids

Figure 2 shows the content of total soluble solids in the mango purees evaluated. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the control purees (AC, MC), which presented values in a range between 20.0 and 20.5 °Brix. These values are consistent with those reported by other authors, who recorded a range of between 16.0 and 20.3 °Brix for Ataulfo mangoes (Montalvo et al 2007; Salvador-Figueroa et al. 2011; Moalemiyan et al. 2012) and between 16.0 and 21.0 °Brix for Manila mangoes (Leon et al. 1996; Lagunes et al. 2007; Rebolledo-Martínez et al. 2008; Morales-de la Peña et al. 2018. On the other hand, the purees generated by FVE showed a significant increase in °Brix (p < 0.05) compared to the control purees. However, no significant difference was found for treated samples, registering values between 21.3 and 21.8 °Brix. This indicates an increase of around 9% in the total soluble content, which is beneficial for a product such as a puree since it represents a higher yield to be used as a basis for the elaboration of other products such as juices, nectars, jams, flavored drinks and confectionery. The increase in soluble solid content in the purees generated by FVE can be attributed again to greater efficiency in cell breakdown derived from the evaporation of part of the water present in vacuoles, which promotes a release of everything that may contribute to the increase in total soluble solids, mainly sugars. °Brix is used for expressing the level of soluble solids in a solution: sugars, pectins, organic acids, and amino acids are the most prevalent soluble solids in fruits and vegetables and they all contribute to °Brix values (Kleinhenz and Bumgarner 2012). Vacuoles have been reported to serve as organelles for the storage of sugars, polysaccharides, organic acids, and proteins.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

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Changes in the content of total soluble solids (°Brix) in mango puree generated by flash vacuum-expansion process and stored for 15 days at 5° C

Total phenolics

Figure 3a shows the content of phenolic compounds of the evaluated purees. It was found that the purees from all the treatments carried out with Manila mangoes presented a lower (p < 0.05) content of total phenols than those from the treatments carried out on Ataulfo mangoes. Similar results were reported by Maldonado-Astudillo et al. (2016), who evaluated the content of phenolic compounds of 4 varieties of mango, and concluded that Ataulfo mango has a higher content of phenolic compounds than Manila mango. For Manila mango specifically, it is possible to observe that the MT1 and MT2 purees generated by FVE have a higher phenolic compound content both at the beginning and at the end of the storage period, compared to the control puree of this variety (MC). The MT1 treatment recorded values of 85.77 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree and 81.85 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree on day 0 and 15 respectively, while the MT2 treatment recorded values of 86.84 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree and 83.21 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree on day 0 and 15 respectively. The control puree (MC) recorded a total phenol content of 72.61 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree and 62.78 mg GAE·100 g−1 puree on day 0 and 15. Our results are lower than those reported by Maldonado-Astudillo et al. (2016) who reported a range of 434–556 mg GAE 100 g−1 pulp in Manila mango, which may be due to the fact that the results in the present work are reported on a wet basis, while the aforementioned authors use a dry basis. On the other hand, the control puree of the Ataulfo variety (AC) had a lower total phenol content (p < 0.05) compared to the purees generated by FVE (AT1, AT2), which did not show any significant difference between them. The AT1 treatment presented values of 122.76 mg GAE 100 g−1 puree and 118.27 (mg GAE 100 g−1 puree) at the beginning and at the end (respectively) of storage. The AT2 treatment recorded values of 119.89 mg GAE 100 g−1puree and 117.28 mg GAE 100 g−1puree on day 0 and 15 respectively, while the control puree (AC) of this variety had 100.89 mg GAE 100 g−1 puree and 90.04 mg GAE 100 g−1puree on day 0 and 15 respectively. The total phenol values recorded in our research are consistent with those reported by Manthey and Perkins-Veazie (2009), who evaluated the functional properties of the pulp of five mango varieties and reported that the Ataulfo variety has between 99 and 130 mg GAE 100 g−1 pulp. However, our results are lower than those reported by Maldonado-Astudillo et al. (2016), who reported a range of 322–527 mg GAE 100 g−1 pulp in Ataulfo mango. The increase in the content of phenolic compounds at day 0 of all the purees generated by FVE can be attributed to the fact that the phenolic compounds are released more efficiently due to greater cellular breakdown. As mentioned in previous paragraphs, vacuoles may be the most susceptible organelles to be affected by the FVE process, which means that all compounds stored in the vacuolar structure are also more easily exposed. This is because phenolic compounds are stored in cellular vacuoles as reported by Takahama (2004). Another element that contributes to the content of phenolic compounds in the purees generated by FVE is that the mangoes are processed whole. This means that the fruits are placed intact in the heating chamber, with the peel, which is also susceptible to release phenolic compounds inside the puree. Studies have shown that mango peel is a rich source of phenolic compounds, which present antioxidant activity (Palmeira et al. 2012). This effect of the FVE process on the extraction of phenolic compounds is also of great interest for processing various plant matrices that contain a high content of phenolic compounds which is of interest for formulating other food products. Despite the increase in the content of phenolic compounds in the purees generated by FVE, a significant decrease was observed during storage, although the final values were always much higher than those of the control purees. In the control purees, a significant decrease between the initial and final values was also observed, which can be attributed to the activity of enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase, that acts directly on these compounds. This treatment did not involve any heat treatment, so as to obtain a puree as close as possible to that of a fresh fruit puree.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

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Changes in the content of phenolic compounds (a) and antioxidant capacity (b) in mango purees generated by flash vacuum-expansion process and stored for 15 days at 5° C

Antioxidant capacity of mango purees generated by FVE

Figure 3b shows the values of the antioxidant capacity in the evaluated purees. This behavior was similar to that recorded on the content of phenolic compounds, which was due to the fact that antioxidant capacity largely depends on the phenolic compound content. All the treatments carried out on Ataulfo mango presented higher (p < 0.05) antioxidant capacity than treatments with Manila mangoes. A similar trend was reported by Yahia and Barrera (2009), who evaluated the antioxidant capacity of 40 horticultural crops and reported that the pulp of Ataulfo mango has a greater antioxidant capacity than Manila mango pulp, both evaluated by two different methodologies (DPPH and FRAP). Similar results were found by Maldonado-Astudillo et al. (2016), who reported that Ataulfo mango had a higher antioxidant capacity than Manila mango, determined only by the DPPH method. The Manila mango purees generated by FVE did not present any significant differences between them, neither at the beginning nor the end of storage. However, in both treatments, a decrease in the content of total phenols was observed on day 15. Treatment MT1 recorded values of 1034.5 and 1012.1 µmol Trolox equivalents·100–1 g puree on days 0 and 15 respectively. Treatment MT2 recorded values of 1052.9 and 1022.0 µmol Trolox equivalents·100–1 g puree on day 0 and 15 respectively, while the control puree of this variety (MC) presented values of 1011.9 and 909.7 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree on day 0 and 15 respectively, these values being significantly (p < 0.05) lower than for the purees generated by FVE. Regarding the treatments with the Ataulfo variety, the purees generated by FVE did not show any significant differences between them, but there was a decrease in the content of total phenols between the beginning and end of storage. Treatment AT1 registering values of 1165.5 and 1119.0 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree at the beginning and end of storage, treatment AT2 1180.0 and 1131.9 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree on day 0 and 15 of storage, while the control puree (AC) registered values of 1100.6 and 1075.5 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree at the beginning and the end respectively. The antioxidant capacity of Ataulfo mango purees are consistent with the findings of Robles-Sánchez et al. (2009), who reported values of antioxidant capacity between 800 and 1200 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree determined by the ORAC method in this variety. Likewise, our values in Ataulfo mango purees are similar to those reported by Talcott and Talcott (2009), who reported an antioxidant capacity of 841 µmol Trolox equivalents·100−1 g puree for Ataulfo mango pulp. The decrease in the content of phenolic compounds can be attributed to the activity of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme that acts on the compounds that mostly confer antioxidant capacity in mango pulp.

°Hue

Various factors are responsible for the loss of pigment and color during the processing of food products. These include non-enzymatic and enzymatic browning and process conditions such as pH, acidity, oxidation, packaging material and duration and temperature of storage. Special care must be taken to produce food that retains a bright, attractive color during food processing (Ahmed et al. 2002). Figure 4a shows the changes in the coloration of the purees evaluated, specifically for the treatments with Manila mango. It was observed that the purees generated by FVE, did not show any significant difference between them (p > 0.05) during the whole storage period. The MT1 and MT2 purees registered initial values of 71.66 and 73.51 respectively, however, a significant decrease was observed (p < 0.05) registering final values of 68.37 and 69.55 respectively. The initial values of these treatments are consistent with those reported by Ornelas-Paz et al. (2007), who evaluated the pigments in the pulp of seven mango varieties and reported a value of 70.9 °H in Manila mango pulp. Regarding the control puree of the Manila variety, a decrease was observed in the values of the parameter °H, since the initial value of this puree was 72.5 and the final value was 61.30. Regarding the treatments with Ataulfo mango, a similar behavior was observed, given that the AT1 and AT2 purees presented initial °H values of 66.07 and 67.52 respectively and significantly lower values of 62.12 and 62.91 respectively on day 15. The values recorded for treatments with Ataulfo mango are consistent with those reported by Ornelas-Paz et al. (2007), who reported a value of 64.7 for Ataulfo mango pulp. While the control puree (AC) of this variety registered a significant decrease, going from 65.02 (day 0) to 55.98 (day 15). The reduction of the °H parameter in all purees translates into a change in color of the puree, possibly due to the activity of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, which acts on phenolic compounds, generating compounds with brown coloration. This is also consistent with a significant decrease in the content of phenolic compounds in all purees on day 15 of storage (Fig. 3a). Although there is a decrease in the parameter °H in the purees generated by FVE, it was observed that the changes were slower and less severe than in the control purees. This means that the FVE process can promote stability in the color of the mango puree. This phenomenon is important because preserving the coloration of a puree is possibly one of the most sought-after aspects in fruit processing, which is why the FVE process has potential for the processing of fruits with enzymatic browning.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

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Changes in the coloration (a) and lightness (b) of mango puree generated by flash vacuum-expansion process and stored for 15 days at 5 °C

Lightness (L)

The lightness parameter (L) can be related to the freshness of fruit products as well as being an attractive attribute for the consumer. Figure 4b shows the changes in parameter L. It was observed that at the start of storage no significant differences were found either between treatments or regarding the control purees, as values were recorded between 66.42 and 65.5. These values are consistent with those reported by Almanza et al. (2016), who reported a value of 63. 92 for parameter L in Ataulfo mango pulp and 67.50 for Manila mango, while Ornelas-Paz et al. (2007), reported a value of 66.0 for Ataulfo mango pulp and 59.60 (L) for Manila mango pulp. However, it was observed that during storage all the purees presented a decrease in the L parameter, with the control purees presenting the lowest significant values (p < 0.05), more specifically the MC presented a final value of 61.05. On the other hand, the AC puree had a final value of 61.1, and this reduction results in a darkening of the puree, a consequence of browning that is attributable to the action of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme. However, the purees generated by FVE did not present any significant difference between them, having final values between 65.42 and 64.22. Even though there was darkening in any of the treatments, it is possible to argue that all the purees generated by FVE retained a better luminosity, which shows that this process has potential for fruit processing.

Increase in temperature in mango fruits during the thermal stage

Figure 5 shows the temperature increase in mango fruits during the stage of exposure to steam flow; it is observed that, during the first five minutes, the increase in temperature is faster, but that later on the temperature increases at a slower rate. The increase in temperature did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05) in the MT1 and AT1 treatments with final values of 57.9 and 58 °C respectively at the end of the thermal stage (7 min of exposure to steam flow), while in the expansion stage the temperature of the MT1 puree was 29.7 and 28.8 °C for AT1. Concerning the MT2 and AT2 treatments, the recorded temperatures were 63.8 and 63.6 °C respectively at the end of the thermal stage (10 min of exposure to steam flow), while in the expansion stage the temperature of the puree was 31.4 and 33.63 °C respectively (monitored approximately one minute after the tissue disintegration event). The increase in temperature in the pulp of mango fruits with the time of exposure to heat is less than that reported by Xanthakis et al. (2018) who recorded 87 °C in mango pulp cylinders subjected to traditional blanching (water at 90 °C) for 5 min. This discrepancy can be attributed to the fact that in our research, the mango fruits were not peeled, and the peel possibly exerts an insulating effect so it takes longer for the heat to reach the fruit pulp, resulting in a lower temperature increase of the pulp. On the other hand, the rapid reduction in the temperature of the pulp in the expansion stage, might be because part of the water present in the pulp evaporates due to the vacuum pressure (5 kPa), and this evaporated water absorb part of the heat, while another part of the heat is dissipated when the puree comes into contact with the metal walls of the expansion chamber. In the present investigation, the time/temperature conditions reached in the pulp of the fruits were not sufficient to inactivate the mango polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme, which requires more than 30 min at 70 °C to reduce its activity by 50% (Cheema and Sommerhalter 2015); while for Manila mangoes, temperatures above 70 °C are required (Palma-Orozco et al. 2014). However, the effect of the activity of this enzyme was limited in all the purees generated by FVE, which encourages the search for an optimization of the process based on this inactivation.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5

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Changes in the temperature of fruits and puree of Manila mango (a) and Ataulfo mango (b) during the flash vacuum expansion process

Conclusion

The results suggest that the FVE process has high potential for mango processing for the generation of puree since it increases the content of total soluble solids and phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant capacity, in addition to conferring some stability to the coloration of the puree. The results also suggest that the FVE process acts on the vacuoles, releasing compounds that directly influence the quality attributes of the puree. However, it was clear that it is necessary to generate more research focused on optimizing operating conditions to inactivate the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, in addition to evaluating the performance and sensory quality of the final product.

Acknowledgements

Marin-Castro, U., thanks the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT-Mexico) for granting a scholarship for his doctoral studies in science.

Abbreviations

FVE

Flash vacuum expansion

MT1

Manila treatment 1

MT2

Manila treatment 2

MC

Manila control

AT1

Ataulfo treatment 1

AT2

Ataulfo treatment 2

AC

Ataulfo control

AOAC

Association of official analytical chemists

ORAC

Oxygen radical absorbance capacity

GAE

Gallic acid equivalent

DPPH

2,2′-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

FRAP

Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay

PPO

Polyphenol oxidase

Author contributions

MV-O, MS-C, DP: conceptualization; URM-C, DP, AS: formal análisis; URM-C, MV-O, AS: investigation; MV-O, MS-C, AS: supervision; MV-O, MS-C, AS, DP: validation; URM-C, MV-O, AS: writing—original draft; URM-C, MV-O, AS: writing—review and editing.

Funding

None.

Data availability

The authors declare that they have the availability to show the data that is required.

Declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest with any public or private institution.

Footnotes

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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