Herbal pretreatments preserve dried mango quality during 180-day storage

Dried mango slices treated with herbal pre-treatments retained better vitamin C content, antioxidant activity and color during 180 days of storage under ambient conditions than untreated samples, according to a food-preservation study. The results also showed that herbal treatments performed comparably to chemical pre-treatments in preserving selected nutritional and quality characteristics. Researchers evaluated chemical and herbal pre-treatments on dried Mangifera indica L. slices.

The study examined proximate composition, physicochemical properties, antioxidant content, microbial populations and color. Samples were assessed at multiple storage intervals over the 180-day period, enabling the researchers to track changes in dried mango as it remained under ambient conditions. Pre-treated samples generally received better scores for vitamin C content, antioxidant content and color analysis than untreated dried mango.

These measures nevertheless declined as the storage interval increased, showing that quality loss continued during the experiment despite pre-treatment. Comparisons among the treated groups indicated that the herbal pre-treatments preserved vitamin C and antioxidants effectively, with results comparable to those recorded for chemical treatments. Microbial populations were higher in untreated dried mango slices than in the pre-treated samples.

However, the reported microbial population remained below the permissible limit. Taken together, the findings indicate that herbal pre-treatments can help preserve the nutritional, visual and microbial quality of dried mango during ambient storage.

Subject of Research: Effects of chemical and herbal pre-treatments on dried mango quality during 180-day ambient storage

Article Title: Impact of chemical and herbal pre-treatments on shelf life and quality characteristics of dried mango ( Mangifera Indica L.) slices

Article References: Ahmad, S., Khan, M. R., Aadil, R. M., & Israr, B. (2026). Impact of chemical and herbal pre-treatments on shelf life and quality characteristics of dried mango (Mangifera Indica L.) slices. PLOS One, 21(10), e0360666. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360666

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360666

Keywords: dried mango, food preservation, herbal pre-treatments, chemical pre-treatments, vitamin C, antioxidants, microbial analysis, food storage, ambient conditions, fruit quality, Impact, chemical