Comparative evaluation of vitamin C stability in Indonesian mango varieties (Mangifera indica L.) under different post-harvest storage and extraction conditions

Abstract

Vitamin C is a key antioxidant influencing the nutritional quality of mangoes, yet its level varies among cultivars and declines during storage. Although the Arumanis mango has been studied, no research has systematically compared Kiojay and Indramayu mangoes or assessed the effect of storage temperature and duration on their vitamin C stability. This study investigates the impact of mango variety, storage temperature, storage duration, and solvent type on the post-harvest vitamin C content. Three mango varieties (Kiojay, Arumanis, and Indramayu) were stored at room temperature (29.6 °C) and under refrigeration (13.3 °C) for two durations (< 1 day and 7 days). Vitamin C was extracted using aquades and 70% ethanol, then quantified by UV–VIS spectrophotometry at 365 nm. A three-way factorial ANOVA revealed significant effects of variety, storage temperature, duration, and solvent on vitamin C concentration (p < 0.001). The Kiojay mango exhibited the highest vitamin C level (340.53 ppm), followed by Indramayu and Arumanis (287.69 and 233.29 ppm, respectively). Refrigerated short-term storage better preserved vitamin C than room temperature, and aquades yielded higher recovery than ethanol. These findings provide new comparative data on Indonesian mangoes, emphasizing the roles of variety, temperature, and solvent choice in maintaining post-harvest vitamin C stability.