Mellow Sun – Organic Apple & Mango Juice 330 ml

Apple and Mango in Scientific Research

Apple (Malus spp.) and mango (Mangifera indica L.) are among the better-studied fruits in nutrition science, and the picture they give is specific rather than sweeping. Mango has a small set of randomised human trials, mostly short and mostly in people with overweight; apple has a long literature on its polyphenols. What follows is what those studies actually measured, including where they found nothing.

1. Mango's carotenoids, and what pressing does to them

Across seven Mexican cultivars, the most abundant carotenoids in mango flesh were all-trans-β-carotene at 0.4–2.8 mg/100 g together with the dibutyrates of all-trans-violaxanthin (0.5–2.8 mg/100 g) and 9-cis-violaxanthin (0.4–2.0 mg/100 g); α-tocopherol was low, 200–500 µg/100 g [1]. In Brazilian fruit, total carotenoids rose from 12.3 to 38.0 µg/g in Keitt and from 17.0 to 51.2 µg/g in Tommy Atkins between the mature-green and ripe stages, and the change fell principally on violaxanthin and β-carotene. In commercially processed juice from the same study, violaxanthin was not detected, auroxanthin appeared at an appreciable level, and β-carotene became the principal carotenoid [2]. The xanthophylls are acid-labile; the carotenes are not.

2. Vitamin C in mango is a cultivar question, not a constant

Published figures for ascorbic acid in mango flesh span roughly an order of magnitude between cultivars and harvests, and fall sharply as the fruit ripens [3]. A study of two commercial cultivars found ascorbic acid highest in the kernels of Tommy Atkins and the peels of Keitt, with dehydroascorbic acid higher in Tommy Atkins flesh than in Keitt [4]. For anyone reading a label, the practical consequence is that mango's vitamin C content is a property of the particular fruit and its ripeness, not of the species.

3. Mangiferin belongs to the leaf and the peel

Mangiferin was quantified in the peel, flesh and seed kernel of eleven Chinese mango cultivars. The highest content was in the peel of the cultivar Lvpimang, at 7.49 mg per gram of dry weight; the flesh carried far less, and in several cultivars it was not detected [5]. A separate survey of Tommy Atkins and Keitt fractions found the kernels, not the flesh, ranked first for phenolic compounds, flavonoids and condensed tannins, at 421.6–1464.8 mg/100 g dry weight [4]. The xanthone chemistry mango is famous for is largely a property of the parts that are peeled away.

4. Insulin sensitivity in a four-week randomised trial

Forty-eight adults with overweight or obesity and chronic low-grade inflammation completed a randomised, controlled, two-arm trial comparing one cup of mango twice daily against an energy-matched control snack for four weeks. Fasting glucose did not differ between the groups, and the inflammatory markers IL-6, TNFα and hs-CRP did not change. Fasting insulin was lower on mango (8.2 vs 15.3 µIU/mL, p = 0.05), as were HOMA-IR (2.28 vs 4.67, p = 0.03) and the disposition index (p = 0.04) [6]. The trial is small and short, and the null result on inflammation is part of the finding.

5. Glucose, inflammation and vascular function over longer periods

In a twelve-week crossover trial, 27 adults with a BMI of 26 or above ate 100 kcal a day of fresh mango or isocaloric low-fat cookies. Blood glucose, C-reactive protein and aspartate transaminase fell and total antioxidant capacity rose on mango, with no change in body weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure, insulin or lipid profile; the cookie arm gained weight and raised insulin, CRP and triglycerides [7]. In a separate crossover study, 34 healthy adults given 100 kcal of fresh mango, dried mango or white bread showed the flattest postprandial glucose response and the greatest satiety after fresh mango [8]. A larger eight-week feeding study in 82 adults with prediabetes found flow-mediated vasodilation improved against a low-fat, low-fibre control — but that diet provided one avocado and one cup of mango daily, so the vascular result cannot be attributed to mango alone [9].

6. Bowel function and the gut microbiota

A four-week randomised trial in otherwise healthy adults with chronic constipation compared 300 g of mango a day against an equivalent amount of fibre. Mango improved stool frequency, consistency and shape, raised gastrin and faecal valeric acid, and lowered plasma endotoxin and interleukin-6 — beyond the fibre-matched comparator [10]. A twelve-week crossover trial at a much smaller dose, 100 kcal a day, raised microbiome alpha diversity at week four and shifted beta diversity by week twelve, but found no change in circulating gut-permeability proteins and no significant difference in stool frequency, consistency, straining or pain [11]. A systematic review of over-the-counter therapies for chronic constipation graded fruit-based laxatives, mango among them, as moderate evidence [12].

7. Skin: one trial, in which the higher dose went the other way

The only human skin trial on mango randomised postmenopausal women with fair skin to 85 g or 250 g of Ataulfo mango for sixteen weeks. In the 85 g group, deep wrinkle severity fell significantly at eight and sixteen weeks against baseline. In the 250 g group the opposite happened: average wrinkle severity, average wrinkle length, fine wrinkle severity and emerging wrinkle severity all increased. Cheek erythema rose in the 85 g group [13]. It is a pilot study with no mango-free control arm, and the dose reversal is the reason it should be quoted carefully or not at all.

8. What survives the press

Twelve healthy men were given a dose of Ataulfo mango either as raw flesh or as juice. Five phenolics were identified in plasma and six plus the microbial metabolite pyrogallol in urine; flesh favoured protocatechuic acid absorption (49%) while juice favoured chlorogenic acid (62%), and the authors concluded that the bioavailability and antioxidant capacity of mango phenolics are preserved, and may be increased, when flesh is processed into juice [14]. An ultrastructural survey of nine carotenoid-storing foods is relevant here too: carotenoids dissolve most readily out of plastoglobuli, less readily from crystals and membranes, and mango had the highest proportion of globules of the nine [15]. Apple's phytochemicals behave differently again — they vary greatly between varieties, change only slightly through ripening, survive storage almost untouched, and are strongly affected by processing [16].

References

1. Ornelas-Paz JdJ, Yahia EM, Gardea-Bejar A. Identification and quantification of xanthophyll esters, carotenes, and tocopherols in the fruit of seven Mexican mango cultivars by LC-(APcI+)-MS. J Agric Food Chem. 2007;55(16):6628–6635. doi:10.1021/jf0706981. PMID 17625873.
2. Mercadante AZ, Rodriguez-Amaya DB. Effects of ripening, cultivar differences, and processing on the carotenoid composition of mango. J Agric Food Chem. 1998;46(1):128–130. doi:10.1021/jf9702860. PMID 10554207.
3. Maldonado-Celis ME, Yahia EM, Bedoya R, et al. Chemical composition of mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit: nutritional and phytochemical compounds. Front Plant Sci. 2019;10:1073. doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.01073. PMID 31681339.
4. Lenucci MS, Tornese R, Mita G, Durante M. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities in different fractions of mango fruits (Mangifera indica L., cultivar Tommy Atkins and Keitt). Antioxidants (Basel). 2022;11(3):484. doi:10.3390/antiox11030484. PMID 35326134.
5. Luo F, Lv Q, Zhao Y, et al. Quantification and purification of mangiferin from Chinese mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars and its protective effect on human umbilical vein endothelial cells under H2O2-induced stress. Int J Mol Sci. 2012;13(9):11260–11274. doi:10.3390/ijms130911260. PMID 23109851.
6. Pett KD, Alex PG, Weisfuss C, Sandhu A, Burton-Freeman B, Edirisinghe I. Mango consumption is associated with increased insulin sensitivity in participants with overweight/obesity and chronic low-grade inflammation. Nutrients. 2025;17(3):490. doi:10.3390/nu17030490. PMID 39940348.
7. Rosas M, Pinneo S, O'Mealy C, et al. Effects of fresh mango consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese adults. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2022;32(2):494–503. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2021.11.001. PMID 34953634.
8. Stamper C, Safadi S, Gehr A, Asuncion P, Hong MY. Effects of fresh vs dried mango consumption on satiety and postprandial glucose in healthy adults. Metabol Open. 2023;19:100253. doi:10.1016/j.metop.2023.100253. PMID 37520177.
9. Preiss C, Tunio S, Hirimuthugoda LK, et al. Effects of increasing total fruit intake with avocado and mango on endothelial function and cardiometabolic risk factors in adults with prediabetes. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026;15(4):e040933. doi:10.1161/JAHA.124.040933. PMID 41698896.
10. Venancio VP, Kim H, Sirven MA, et al. Polyphenol-rich mango (Mangifera indica L.) ameliorate functional constipation symptoms in humans beyond equivalent amount of fiber. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018;62(12):e1701034. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201701034. PMID 29733520.
11. Asuncion P, Liu C, Castro R, et al. The effects of fresh mango consumption on gut health and microbiome — randomized controlled trial. Food Sci Nutr. 2023;11(4):2069–2078. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3243. PMID 37051355.
12. Rao SSC, Brenner DM. Efficacy and safety of over-the-counter therapies for chronic constipation: an updated systematic review. Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(6):1156–1181. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001222. PMID 33767108.
13. Fam VW, Holt RR, Keen CL, Sivamani RK, Hackman RM. Prospective evaluation of mango fruit intake on facial wrinkles and erythema in postmenopausal women: a randomized clinical pilot study. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3381. doi:10.3390/nu12113381. PMID 33158079.
14. Quirós-Sauceda AE, Chen C-YO, Blumberg JB, Astiazaran-Garcia H, Wall-Medrano A, González-Aguilar GA. Processing 'Ataulfo' mango into juice preserves the bioavailability and antioxidant capacity of its phenolic compounds. Nutrients. 2017;9(10):1082. doi:10.3390/nu9101082. PMID 28961171.
15. Jeffery J, Holzenburg A, King S. Physical barriers to carotenoid bioaccessibility: ultrastructure survey of chromoplast and cell wall morphology in nine carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables. J Sci Food Agric. 2012;92(13):2594–2602. doi:10.1002/jsfa.5767. PMID 22870847.
16. Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004;3:5. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-3-5. PMID 15140261.