Archives of Current Research International

Preharvest fruit bagging is an effective, eco-friendly orchard practice for improving fruit quality and extending postharvest life, yet its influence on the biochemical and antioxidant machinery of mango remains inadequately understood. The present two-year study (2023–24 and 2024–25) evaluated the effect of different coloured preharvest fruit bags on the postharvest quality and storage life of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Dashehari. Fruits were bagged at the egg-size stage with green (T₂), red (T₃), brown (T₄), and white (T₅) bags or left unbagged as the control (T₁), harvested at physiological maturity, and evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days after harvest for physicochemical, biochemical, antioxidant, and oxidative stress-related attributes. Among the treatments, green bagging (T₂) was most effective in preserving fruit quality during storage. At 12 days after harvest, T₂ recorded the highest total flavonoid content (26.21 mg 100 g⁻¹), antioxidant activity (24.63%), total phenolic content (87.76 mg 100 g⁻¹), catalase activity (7.73 μg min⁻¹ g⁻¹), peroxidase activity (0.42 μg min⁻¹ g⁻¹), and superoxide dismutase activity (72.78 units min⁻¹ g⁻¹), while recording the lowest physiological loss in weight (15.79%), lipid peroxidation, and superoxide radical accumulation. Green bagging also delayed fruit softening and senescence by suppressing polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterase activities, thereby maintaining firmness for longer. These findings indicate that green-coloured preharvest bagging enhances antioxidant defence, minimises oxidative deterioration, and improves the biochemical quality and storability of mango fruits, offering a practical, low-cost strategy for extending marketable shelf life and reducing postharvest losses in cv. Dashehari mango.