Using Hot water treatments to disinfest mangoes of Bactrocera dorsalis

What is it about?

The hot water treatment of mangoes infested with the notorious fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis, offers new hope especially to African countries whose mangoes were now banned for export to European and American Markets. The treatment does not in any way interfere with the physical and biochemical properties of the mangoes.

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Why is it important?

Our findings come at a time when chemical treatments of fruits as post harvest treatments are slowly becoming unacceptable to consumers. At a time when mango production is being promoted at smallholder farm level because of the decline of revenue obtained from traditional cash crops at the international markets, thus the hot water treatment offers hope in dis-infesting the small percentage of infestation resulting even after pre-harvest techniques would have been applied.

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