Effects of Sanitizers on the Control of Alternaria sp. Fungus for ‘Palmer’ Mango Conservation

One of the main problems faced by mango growers in the San Francisco Valley, Brazil, is caused by fungi. Among them, the genus Alternaria, Lasodiploida and Colletotrichum stand out. Sanitization methods have been studied in order to control the proliferation of these microorganisms and increase the shelf life of the fruits. Thus, two methods of sanitization were evaluated: Ozone and chlorine dioxide, in the control of fungi of the genus Alternaria and in the increase of post-harvest quality of Palmer mango fruits. We used a 3 × 5 factorial design with three treatments applied to fruits previously inoculated with fungi, five evaluation periods and five replications, totaling 75 experimental units. The treatments consisted of ozonated water at 3 ppm, chlorine dioxide at 12 ppm, and a control without sanitization. We noted the full development of fungi from the 10th day after contamination, more significantly for the control and to a lesser extent for the treatment with ozone. The methods of conservation with ozone and chlorine dioxide proved efficient in the conservation of fruits. The treatment with chlorine dioxide shows a significant efficiency in the control of penetration of fungi of the genus Alternaria inside the fruits.