Help finding the sweetest Mango for Guinness book of records

[simon_grow]

Hello everyone, I would like some help finding the sweetest mango variety in Florida/California. I know there are posts that talk about the sweetest mango but there are new varieties that may be sweeter. I'm trying to find the sweetest Mango variety in the hopes that we can enter a USA grown Mango that can dethrone the Sweet Elena(Zambales) as the sweetest mango in the world.

The Sweet Elena only had a a Brix of 19% and I know that there are many varieties that can currently achieve a higher a fix reading than this. The Florida/California grown Lemon Zest had a Brix of 24-26%. Here is my plan to get a new world record.

1) Find the sweetest variety
2) Find the healthiest tree of this variety
3) Work with owner of this tree on special fertilization schedule and heavy thinning
4) Test a few samples from the tree
5) Call Guinness book

I would love to hear any suggestions or advice😄   I know not many people have a refractometer but it would be great if everyone could start thinking about the sweetest mango varieties they tasted recently and then bring that mango variety to a friend that has a refractometer for testing.

I think one of the best ways to find the sweetest mango is to bring a refractometer to a mango tasting, Harry, do you have a refractometer? I know that Okrung is often brought up as one of the sweetest mango varieties but I need actual Brix readings. I'll add more information as it comes up. Thanks in advance!
New#1) nubbin Lemon Zest= above 32% Brix!!!
1) White Chaunsa= 27.5% Brix
2) Lemon Zest= 26% Brix
3) Leo#2= 24%
4) Pickering= 22%
5) Edward= 21%



Simon

[JF]

Hello everyone, I would like some help finding the sweetest mango variety in Florida/California. I know there are posts that talk about the sweetest mango but there are new varieties that may be sweeter. I'm trying to find the sweetest Mango variety in the hopes that we can enter a USA grown Mango that can dethrone the Sweet Elena(Zambales) as the sweetest mango in the world.

The Sweet Elena only had a a Brix of 19% and I know that there are many varieties that can currently achieve a higher a fix reading than this. The Florida/California grown Lemon Zest had a Brix of 24-26%. Here is my plan to get a new world record.

1) Find the sweetest variety
2) Find the healthiest tree of this variety
3) Work with owner of this tree on special fertilization schedule and heavy thinning
4) Test a few samples from the tree
5) Call Guinness book

I would love to hear any suggestions or advice😄   I know not many people have a refractometer but it would be great if everyone could start thinking about the sweetest mango varieties they tasted recently and then bring that mango variety to a friend that has a refractometer for testing.

I think one of the best ways to find the sweetest mango is to bring a refractometer to a mango tasting, Harry, do you have a refractometer? I know that Okrung is often brought up as one of the sweetest mango varieties but I need actual Brix readings. I'll add more information as it comes up. Thanks in advance!

Simon

Simon I had a cypress mango the other day that was as sweet as the lemon zest we have in the desert. This varieties has a sweet nectar flavor if it was fiberless it would've been a 10 instead of an 8 in our tasting.

[zands]

Way up there in the rankings should be some of the new Zills. Zill has about 10 new mango selections in the last 4 years. He has been narrowing them down for years to get to these 10 and you have to think that some were selected to be as sweet as possible along with other complimentary features such as production.

Why would Zill select this way? Same reasons anyone would. For fame and fortune. To make more sales plus the recognition and praise in the mango world.

[jcaldeira]

Nice idea to attempt an official world record. 

I suggest contacting Guinness before going much further, to understand their evidence documentation requirements, need for an adjudicator, and other criteria that might need to be met so they can do their confirmation research.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/set-a-record/intro

[simon_grow]

JF, thanks for the info on the Cypress, I wonder if Leo#2 can also get sweeter? I think it's about time for you to get a refractometer😁. JF, any chance you can bring a Cypress mango to someone nearby where you live to get a Brix reading?

Zands, I'm with you on the new Zill Mangos, I know Coconut Cream is sweet and so is Lemon Zest. I'm kinda hoping that whatever variety we find to be the sweetest turns out to be a non patented variety just so I don't have to ask for permission but I'm hopeful that if the sweetest mango variety is Patented, the patent owner would be willing and happy to help out and get some free advertising.

I would like to believe that saying "XXXXX" mango is the sweetest mango in the world and we have plants for sale would be enough for the patent owner to participate.

Anyone in the San Diego area is welcome to stop by my house to use my refractometer for the purposes of this event.

I hope we get a lot of participation, I think that if we can get one of our USA grown mangos into the book of world records, it can increase interest in Mango and other tropical fruit growing as a hobby.

Simon

[simon_grow]

Nice idea to attempt an official world record. 

I suggest contacting Guinness before going much further, to understand their evidence documentation requirements, need for an adjudicator, and other criteria that might need to be met so they can do their confirmation research.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/set-a-record/intro

Jcaldiera, thanks for the suggestion! It is this kinda stuff that I wasn't thinking about that I need help with.
Simon

[bangkok]

Okay i 'm in. I will find me a refracto metre. That award is not going to the USA....

[jegpg1]

For this study to be valid, all mango entries must be grown in the exact same conditions. Will it be feasible to get all samples that way? Also, Even mangos from the same tree may taste different if picked at different stages of the fruit. It would be a challenge to account for the differences in mango seasons too.

[simon_grow]

Bangkok, if you find a sweeter mango variety, I'll have to submit our entry as sweetest mango in the USA. I am very eager to see what type of Brix readings you get over in Thailand and what variety is the sweetest in your neck of the woods.

Jegpg1, I just want to find out which variety is the sweetest in the USA so that we can have the proper genetics in our arsenal to beat the current record. It would be best to find a variety that is consistently sweet as opposed to a variety that is very sweet in a good year. This will not be a controlled experiment😊

Just some additional information, a refractometer is very affordable, only about $30-40. The range on my refractometer is 0-30% Brix.

Simon

[bangkok]

The sweetest in the USA is not the sweetest of the world.

I will test my ndm-green mango from my garden. Now i need a brix meter but i 'm sure i will get comments that my meter is not working properly. So i need the same brand meter as you guys use     I also have Okrung and ndm-gold on the same tree so i can compare them.

[jegpg1]

Simon, I thought you want the result for Guinness world record. Random samples will not be reliable for the stringent criteria in the Guinness world record.

[simon_grow]

Simon, I thought you want the result for Guinness world record. Random samples will not be reliable for the stringent criteria in the Guinness world record.

Jegpg1, perhaps I'm thinking about this in the wrong way. I was hoping that it would be a simple matter of submitting a few samples to Guiness and being able to show that this new mango has a higher Brix reading than the current record of 19%? 

I just visited the Guinness records site and did a search for sweetest mango and nothing came up in their records. I only found the heaviest and the most expensive Mango?

I've never entered anything into Guinness before but I don't see why they would need all mangos to be grown in the same conditions. I am hoping that we only need to show that we have a mango that has a higher Brix than the current record. The current record did not mention anything regarding growing conditions, at least nothing that I've seen, not that I was looking😊
Simon

[bangkok]

If you use this recipe they will be supersweet i guess, i never tried the full recipe though.

AGE OF TREE
DOSAGE / GRADE
METHOD / FREQUENCY
1-year-old (2-3 feet)
60 grams (6 tablespoons) of 16-20-0, urea mixture and trace element
Mix 3 parts of 16-20-0 and 1 part urea. Apply after one month from date of planting and repeat application after 2-3 months

2-year-old (4-5 feet)
150 grams of 16-20-0, urea mixture and trace element
Mix 3 part of 16-20-0 and 1 part urea. Apply at the start of rainy season. Repeat after 2-3 months

3-year-old or more
300 grams of 14-14-14, urea mixture and trace element
Mix 3 part of 14-14-14 and 1 part urea. Apply at the start of rainy season and repeat procedure after 2-3 months

Bearing tree
1 to 5 kilos of 14-14-14 (depending on the size of the tree)
Apply at the start of rainy season and after 3 months

Flowering Post Blossom
1/2 kilo of 17-0-17 every 10 kilos estimated fruit
Dosage shall depend on the estimated yield or production of the tree

Two Months Before Ripening
17-0-17 (1 part), 0-0-60 (1 part)
Mix thoroughly 17-0-17 and 0-0-60 and apply 1 kilo for every 10-kilo fruit. Apply more on less fertile soil or 1.5 kilo for every 10 kilos of fruit.

http://www.dizonexoticfruittrees.com/ref/fer02.htm

[Mike T]

Sweetness can be enhanced with good Mg,K and P with micros.Asian polys seem to be sweetest and common stringy,KP,caraboa,ripe keow sawoy,honey gold and even tree ripened NDM would be in the running.They would have to be grown in the tropics with spring max temps 30c to 35c.

[DurianLover]

Sweetest mangoes I had so far: NDM, Okrung, Orange Sherbet. Okrung will probably rank anywhere from 1 to 5 when matched against other top contenders. If somehow it comes up as nr. 1, please keep it secret, because it taste like sugary diluted mango flavor water. I would rather not see poorly informed people making wrong choice! NDM and OS smokes Okrung in flavor department.

[Mike T]

DL yes okrung of course I forgot about that one.They are pretty good to eat and at least have no hydrocarbon aftertaste like some.

[jcaldeira]

It's my understanding that Guinness confirms world records, not U.S. records.  If they have no other 'sweetest mango' on record, whatever submitted should win until someone else beats it, assuming their regulations were followed. 

The growing does not need to be under identical conditions.  It's similar to a 'biggest pumpkin' contest.

[jegpg1]

Very simplistic. Scientific investigation requires strict control of variables and reproducibility of results to be valid.

[Mr. Clean]

Someone may want to tell Gary Zill about this idea.  He might have a mango that is so sweet that it turns a regular person into an instant diabetic.  (I'm kidding of course). 

Lessons can be learned from wine grape growers.  Grape growers grow in rather arid conditions to concentrate the sugars in the grapes.  For those in Florida, high water table and frequent rainfall may dilute the sugars...so you may consider growing in a container to control the amount of water the tree receives during fruiting.  Good luck to all!

[jcaldeira]

Very simplistic. Scientific investigation requires strict control of variables and reproducibility of results to be valid.

Strict control of variables is needed if we want to measure the best mango genetics, but not if we want to measure the sweetest mango.

When we give control of the variables to the people competing for the sweetest mango, we are measuring not only the genetic material, but also the skill in managing the growing environment.   Pumpkin growing is a good example, were competitors plant excellent genetic material, but also have their own watering and fertilizing methods.

There is no possible way for competitors across the world, country, state or even county to equalize all the growing variables.

http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/giantpumpkins.htm

[Mike T]

It will always be a combination of environment and genetics.

[simon_grow]

Great feedback so far, it does seem that the Asian polys are mentioned most frequently when talking about the sweet mangos. I will soon add a list to the top of this thread with some variety names and their Brix readings. I'm not going to list all the mangoes I've tested, only the top three or so with the highest Brix readings.

I've never spoken to the Zill family before but if anyone is a friend of the Zills, it would be awesome if they could mention this post to see if they had any interest in unveiling their sweetest mango if it hasn't already been released yet.

So far, Lemon Zest is at the top of the list with a Brix reading of 26%

Simon

[Mike T]

Brix should be higher in a warmer climate within a variety I presume.Kent,keitt,palmer,haden,TA and many of the turpsy american mono horrors will probably have low brix levels.

[Mark in Texas]

So far, Lemon Zest is at the top of the list with a Brix reading of 26%

Simon

That is over the top.  Just planted mangos and my first Pickering fruit came in at 22*.  It was rich, but I think you can over do the sugar/acid thing.  Also, did the Lemon Zest still have decent texture or was it pasty?

I have a wine grape vineyard.  This is the refractometer I use.  Still doing very well after about 4 years of use.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RHW-25BrixATC-Refractometer-for-Grape-Wine-0-25-Alcohol-0-40-Brix-Black-/300989831532?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461464596c

[simon_grow]

Hello Mark, thanks for the Brix reading. The lemon Zest was not pasty to my palate, in fact, I would hazard to say it had just about the perfect texture. It was firm and very sweet but had the perfect acidity to balance out the sweetness. The Desert mango tasting was my first taste of the Lemon Zest and I have been hooked ever since. I saved the seed from the Lemon Zest in the desert and when I brought it home(in a cooler) the flesh around the seed was still firm and I greedily nibbled every last morsel of flesh off the seed before I planted the embryo. If you don't already have a alas planted in your yard, I highly recommend it! Ive only recently had the opportunity to taste so many of the different Florida and SoCal varieties and LZ is my favorite so far.

Simon