Fumigation with SO2 causes undesirable effects on fruit quality. The fruit taste is altered due to higher titratable acidity and lower pH resulting from direct penetration of SO2 through the skin into the aril(Lonsdale and Kremer-Köhne, 1991; Tongdee, 1993). Evaluation of SO2 fumigated fruit of different cultivars indicated a 12–14% mass loss during low temperature storage at 2 °C (Lemmer, 2002; Sivakumar and Korsten, 2006a). It is also evident that commercial SO2 fumigation intensified micro-cracking of the pericarp (Sivakumar et al., 2005b). Similar observations on grapes were reported by Zhang et al. (2003). The SO2 fumigation also results in health hazards for packhouse workers and consumers, causing allergic reactions and respiratory problems (Koeing et al., 1983).The build-up of SO2 residues in the pericarp and aril is dependent on different factors, such as damage to the pericarp RH and storage temperature. According to Lemmer (2002) the SO2 residue levels in the pericarp and aril (edible portion) of six cultivars (‘Wai Chee’, ‘Fay Zee Siu’, ‘Kwai May Pink’, ‘Haak Yip’, ‘HLH Mauritius’ and ‘McLean’s Red’) were observed to be 1000–1400 μg g− 1 in the pericarp and 10–14 μg g− 1 in the aril soon after SO2 fumigation and declined to 200–250 μg g− 1 and 8–12 μg g− 1 respectively during low temperature storage at 1 °C. The detected SO2 residues varied between cultivars: higher values were recorded in cv. ‘McLean’s Red’ than in cv. ‘Mauritius’.