Carboxymethyl cellulose coating delays ripening of harvested mango fruits by regulating softening enzymes activities

•Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) effect was studied on mango under ambient storage.•CMC reduced weight loss, disease occurrence, hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde.•CMC delayed green color loss and suppressed carotenoids accumulation in mango peel.•CMC reduced softening enzyme activity and showed higher antioxidant enzyme activities.•CMC treatment could be considered suitable to delay ripening and softening of mango. The effect of carboxymethyl cellulose [(1%) CMC] was evaluated on mango fruits under storage at 20 ± 1 °C for 20 days. The CMC coating noticeably reduced weight loss and disease incidence. Application of CMC delayed climacteric peak of ethylene and respiration rate with significantly reduced relative ion leakage, malondialdehyde, superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide content. The treated mangoes showed significantly lower L*, a*, b* and total carotenoids. The CMC treatment reduced the increase in cellulase, pectin methylesterase and polygalacturonase activity that delayed softening of mango fruits. In addition, activities of peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were substantially higher in CMC-treated mango fruits. The treated fruits showed significantly lower soluble solids and higher titratable acidity which thereby reduced the ripening index of mangoes. In conclusion, CMC treatment could be considered a potential pre-storage treatment to delay postharvest ripening and to conserve the eating quality of ambient stored mango fruits.