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

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.