A 35-day storage and ripening trial was conducted on mature green 'Julie' mangoes. Fruits were conditioned by a stepwise reduction in temperature of 3 or 5 °C per day and eventually held at 5 °C. Their storage and ripening behaviour were compared to fruits held at a fixed temperature ο f 5 °C from the day of harvest. Temperature conditioning or a stepwise réduction in temperature significantly reduced the level of chilling when compared to fruits stored at the fixed 5 °C. Additionally, it was also found that cooling rates significantly affected the onset of the time of chilling injury. During the trial a number of chemical and sensory parameters of the fruits were analyzed: total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), suganacid ratio (TSS/TA), fruit colour, chilling index, decay and shrivelling.