Abstract

This study aimed to determine the optimal conditions of hot water treatment temperature and immersion time in the postharvest production process using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to evaluate the interactive effects of processing variables and predict optimal conditions for shelf-life extension. The experiment was designed using a Central Composite Design (CCD), with hot water temperature (48–56°C) and immersion time (1–15 min) as independent variables. The response variables included shelf life, physical quality attributes, and fruit sweetness. The results demonstrated that hot water temperature and immersion time significantly affected the shelf life and quality of mango fruit (p < 0.05). The developed quadratic model showed good predictive capability with an R² value of 92.71%. The optimal processing condition was identified at 54.02°C for 12.13 min, which extended mango shelf life to 12.66 days while maintaining acceptable physical quality and sweetness levels according to export standards. The distinctive contribution of this study lies in the application of RSM under an actual semi-industrial postharvest production system to optimize processing conditions in relation to transportation duration and destination market requirements. The proposed approach has strong potential to reduce postharvest losses, improve supply chain efficiency, and enhance the export value of mango fruit.