Arabfields, Naïla Mokhtari, Correspondent, São Paulo, Brasil — Brazilian mango exporters are adjusting harvesting and cold-chain practices after a three-year study found that low temperatures can trigger a hidden form of flesh browning in susceptible fruit, a problem that may only become visible after the mango is opened by the consumer.
The research, conducted by Embrapa Semiárido and published in September 2026, found that the condition, known as black flesh or internal flesh browning, is strongly associated with exposure to cold during storage and refrigerated transport. The disorder is particularly concentrated around the seed and does not necessarily affect the external appearance of the fruit.
That makes the problem especially difficult for exporters. A mango can look healthy when it leaves Brazil and still develop internal damage during the weeks it spends in refrigerated containers on its way to overseas markets.
Brazil is currently the world’s sixth-largest mango producer, while more than 90% of its mango exports originate in the São Francisco Valley. The fruit is shipped mainly to Europe, the United States and Asia, where long transport times increase the importance of temperature management.
For producers and exporters, the findings could lead to changes in how fruit is harvested and handled. Tests covering Tommy Atkins, Kent, Palmer and Keitt varieties found that mangoes harvested at an earlier stage of maturity were more vulnerable to cold-related damage.
Temperature also proved decisive. In the trials, storage between 8C and 10C favoured the development of internal browning, while fruit kept at 12.5C showed no symptoms in the same lots.
The results are already influencing commercial operations. Blue Skies, a company involved in fresh-cut fruit processing, has shifted mango storage above 10C and moved harvesting toward a more advanced stage of maturity. The company also uses 1-MCP on mangoes shipped to its operation in Ghana, where the treatment is compatible with fresh-fruit distribution.
At Agrodan, a major mango producer and exporter in the São Francisco Valley that produces more than 32 million kilograms of mangoes a year, the findings have also prompted changes. The company has adjusted harvesting times, giving preference to cooler hours, improved reception-area cooling and shortened the period between harvesting and shipment.
The study also tested 1-methylcyclopropene, or 1-MCP, a compound that slows the action of ethylene, the hormone responsible for fruit ripening. In Tommy Atkins and Keitt mangoes stored at 9C for 45 days, untreated fruit recorded an incidence of internal browning close to 100%. When treated with 200 nanolitres per litre of 1-MCP, the rate fell below 60%.
For exporters, the result could provide another tool for managing long-distance shipments, although its commercial use comes with logistical considerations. Agrodan manager Priscilla Dantas said the treatment can add about 12 hours between packing and dispatch, potentially complicating shipping schedules.
The economic consequences of the disorder can be significant because importers commonly use quality thresholds when inspecting shipments. If the proportion of affected fruit exceeds the permitted level, an entire consignment can face rejection, turning a problem that began inside individual mangoes into a broader commercial loss.
Researchers are now working on an additional solution that could change how exporters identify risky fruit. Portable spectrometers using visible and near-infrared light have been combined with a machine-learning algorithm capable of distinguishing apparently healthy fruit from susceptible fruit at harvest.
The system currently achieves an accuracy of between 80% and 90%, according to the research team. The next stage is aimed at estimating not only whether browning is likely to occur, but also how severe the disorder could become in individual fruit and lots.
If that work progresses as expected, exporters could increasingly use risk-based handling rather than applying the same storage conditions to every shipment. Fruit identified as more susceptible could be harvested later, kept at higher temperatures or directed toward controlled-atmosphere transport or 1-MCP treatment.
The findings also point to a broader shift in mango logistics. Rather than relying solely on lower temperatures to extend shelf life, exporters may increasingly balance temperature, maturity, atmosphere and ripening control according to the destination and expected transit time.
For consumers, the change could be less visible but important. The aim is to ensure that a mango that looks sound on a supermarket shelf also delivers acceptable quality once it is cut open.
With Brazil’s mango exports heavily concentrated in the São Francisco Valley, improvements in post-harvest management could therefore have an effect beyond individual producers. Over the coming seasons, wider adoption of temperature controls, maturity-based harvesting and predictive screening could determine how effectively exporters reduce hidden losses while maintaining the long transit periods required by international markets.
