How to determine the degree of ripeness of a mango and ripen the fruit at home

Translated from Sanskrit - the ancient language of India - mango means "great fruit". Its consumption exceeds the amount of bananas and apples eaten in the world. This tropical fruit is loved by the inhabitants of our country due to its rich sweet taste and pleasant resinous-fruity aroma with floral admixture. In this article, we will show you how to determine the ripeness of a mango and ripen a green fruit at home.

Is it possible to eat unripe mango and how to ripen it at home

Most popular types - Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese and Balinese mango. The color of the peel is yellow, green, orange or red. The shape of the fruit is elongated, round, ovoid or pear-shaped. The average weight of one fruit is 300-400 g, some specimens reach 1 kg.

Mango is supplied to the Russian market unripe... This is due to the characteristics of tropical fruits. This is done not only with mango, but also with bananas and pineapples. The green, slightly edible fruit is able to ripen independently outside the tree. It produces ethylene gas - the so-called "maturation hormone". Under its action, tannins decompose, and starch turns into sugar. The authorship of this discovery belongs to the Russian botanist Dmitry Nelyubov.

Plucked mangoes are able to ripen faster than those remaining on the branch... Under conditions of moisture deficiency and accidental damage, ethylene production is enhanced. If you put one ripe next to unripe fruits, the ripening process will go faster.

Mangoes often ripen on their way from the tropics to our counters, so you can buy quite ripe fruit in the store.

The red color of the peel does not indicate full ripeness of the fruit, but only says that he was generously illuminated by the sun's rays while hanging on a tree.

How to tell if the fruit is still green: it is heavy and hard to the touch, has a dark green skin color, does not smell, after cutting it is difficult to remove the bone, the pulp is sour and knits the mouth. Some consumers describe the taste of unripe mango as soapy and unpleasant.

Can unripe mangoes be eaten? In the homeland of culture, in India, sauces, marinades and garnishes for fish and meat are prepared from unripe fruits... Therefore, you can not throw the green mango, but cut it into a salad or add to a vegetable stew for piquancy.

Interesting! Alcohol and mango are completely incompatible foods. The acid in the pulp irritates the stomach walls and, when combined with alcohol, causes nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal upset.

How mango ripens at home

Where to put the mango for ripening? If you bought a deliberately unripe fruit, leave it at room temperature on a tray next to bananas or apples... After 3-4 days it will "come" and become soft.

There are several simple ways to speed up ripening. using newspaper or baking paper and cereals.

Paper wrapping

If you bought a green mango, how to make the fruit ripe? Paper will help to ripen mango quickly. Wrap it in regular newspaper or baking parchment and place it in a dark place. room temperature. After 24-48 hours, it will become soft and a fruity aroma will appear.

Wrapping the mango with an apple or banana will speed up the process by increasing the released ethylene.

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Ripening with cereals

Indian housewives use the proven method of ripening mangoes: Put it in a bowl, saucepan, or bag of raw rice. Under such conditions, the fruit ripens not in a few days, but in just a couple of hours. For example, if you put a mango in rice in the morning, in the evening, maximum by the next morning, you will get ripe fruit. Experienced housewives advise to look into the container every 3-7 hours to prevent overripening.

How to ripen a mango? Not only rice will help, but also corn grains or cereals... This method is practiced by Mexican housewives.

Reference. Unripe fruits contain more ascorbic acid, and ripe fruits contain more vitamin A and less vitamin C.

Determination of the degree of ripeness and proper storage

In order not to subsequently wonder how to make a mango ripe, it is better to be able to determine the degree of maturity of the fruit even when buying... This is not difficult:

1. Ripe the fruit exudes a bright sweet-resinous, fruity odor, especially in the area of ​​the stalk.
2. When pressed, the pulp is slightly springylike a ripe peach.
3. The skin of a ripe fruit is shiny, smooth and firm, the color ranges from yellow to red-orange depending on the variety. There are varieties of green mango with orange flesh, but they are extremely rare on our counters.
4. Dark spots on the surface of the fetus do not always indicate that the product has begun to deteriorate... The fruit probably contains a lot of sucrose. However, if the spots are soft, easily squeezed with a fingernail, it is better not to buy the fruit.
5. The most delicious and fragrant fruits have spherical shape.

Ripe fruit smells like pineapple and peach at the same time with a light trail of needles... Connoisseurs of this exotic fruit are sure that it is the strong aroma that indicates one hundred percent ripeness.

Storage rules:

1. Don't put green fruits in the refrigerator - the ripening process in such conditions slows down, and the product will deteriorate. Keep ripe and overripe fruits in the fruit drawer in the refrigerator compartment.
2. Shelf life of ripe fruit in the refrigerator - 5-6 days at a temperature of + 2 ... + 5 ° С, in a freezer - six months at –18 ° С. When frozen, the product retains its taste.
3. Cut fruit spoils quickly, the pulp darkens and loses its flavor... Store this product in a food container with an airtight lid for no more than 24 hours.
4. Unripe mango can be stored for up to 7 weeks at a temperature of + 7 ... + 9 ° С and air humidity 90%.

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Conclusion

When buying a green mango, the question arises: how to make it ripe? Indian housewives practice a very successful method - ripening fruits in raw rice. This enhances the production of natural gas ethylene, and a ripe product can be obtained after a maximum of 24 hours.

Wrapping it in newspaper or parchment is another effective way to make mango ripe. However, a completely ready-to-use product can only be obtained after 48 hours. If there is nowhere to rush, the fruits are left at room temperature for several days.