The improved Mahachanok mango is enhanced with anti-oxidants anthocyanin and carotenoid.
Researchers at Nare-suan University in Phitsanulok, northern Thailand, have developed a mango that can reduce the risk of contracting some cancers.
Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment lecturer Asst Prof Dr Peerasak Chaiprasart explained that the improved Mahachanok mango is enhanced with anti-oxidants anthocyanin and carotenoid.
Carotenoid, found in yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables, strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of various cancers, heart disease, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration in the retina of the eye.
Anthocyanin, which yields red, purple and blue pigments, slows cell degeneration and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke and kills pathogenic micro-organisms in the gastrointestinal system.
Dr Peerasak said the Mahachanok mango (Mangifera indica) – a hybrid of Thai Nang Klang Wan mangoes and Australian Sunset mangoes – had red-purple or yellow-red skin when ripe.
The researchers found that introducing methyl jasmonate to pre-harvest mangoes boosted their levels of Vitamin C, glucose, fructose, sucrose and carotenoid. Methyl jasmonate plus ethephon, both of which are safe and leave no residue, increased the carotenoid level by 50 per cent.
