The information about sugar accumulation during mango ripening is very limited. Data presented in literature is contradictory concerning the starch and sugar content. In order to contribute to obtain reliable data, samples of four cultivars of mango were obtained during development and ripening. Soluble sugars, starch and fiber content were analyzed in these samples, by enzymatic and chromatographic (HPLC-PAD) methods. The results demonstrated that considerable amounts of starch (between 2.5 and 9%) were produced during fruit development. The pattern of degradation was highly dependent on the cultivar. The starch levels in ripen mango were almost undetectable in "Van Dyke" and "Haden". In respect to the sum of soluble sugars content, it varied between 7.3%, in "Van Dyke", and 12.7%, in "Haden". In the case of fructose, the most plentiful hexose, it varied between 2.3% and 3.1%. The sucrose represented 76% of the total amount of sugars in "Tommy", being the most abundant sugar analyzed in these cultivars. The results suggest that the starch content found during development phase of mango could be the source of carbon involved in sucrose synthesis, although, in some cases, the starch degradation and sucrose accumulation are not concomitant.
mango; carbohydrate; metabolism starch-sucrose
