To identify Alphonso mango, look at several clues together: a rounded oval shape, skin that stays mixed green and yellow, a sweet smell near the stalk, a gentle give under the thumb, and smooth non-fibrous pulp. No single check is proof.
What an Alphonso mango is
Alphonso is a mango variety named after Afonso de Albuquerque, and in Maharashtra people call it Hapus. Fruits generally weigh 150 to 300 g, and the pulp is described as rich, creamy and non-fibrous. Alphonso from the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt is GI-tagged in India (GI No. 139). We hold GI Authorised User certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139), and I will say more about papers further down.
I write this guide as the founder of AlphonsoMango.in, and I want to be honest about a limit. Eyes, nose and fingers give you clues. They do not give you proof. The only checks that settle where a mango came from are the seller's papers and a seller you can question. Treat the first six checks as rough clues and the seventh as the one that counts.
Seven checks to identify Alphonso mango
- Smell. Hold the fruit near the stalk end. A ripe Alphonso has a sweet, fruity aroma that is strongest there. A fruit with no smell at all may not be ripe yet, or may not be Alphonso.
- Skin. The skin is often uneven, with green, gold and a blush sitting together on one fruit. A very even, bright yellow skin is only a rough clue, because colour alone cannot show how a fruit was ripened.
- Shape. Look for a rounded oval that is a little broader at the shoulder and ends in a soft tip. Long, thin or strongly beaked fruit points to another variety.
- Feel. Press gently near the shoulder. Ripe fruit gives slightly and springs back. Hard fruit is not ripe, and mushy fruit is overripe.
- Pulp. Cut a fruit open. Alphonso pulp is described as non-fibrous, so you should not find strings stuck in your teeth. Taste is sweet with a little acidity. As published on our Brand Facts page, sweetness at full ripeness runs from 18 to 24 Brix.
- Weight and size. Alphonso is typically 150 to 300 g per fruit. A box labelled Alphonso should give you sizes in a narrow range for the grade you bought. Wildly uneven fruit suggests sorting was not done.
- Papers. Ask the seller for a GI Authorised User certificate number for Alphonso, an FSSAI licence number, and the place the fruit was grown. This is the check that carries weight.
For another view on the same question, our shorter page on how to identify authentic Hapus mango covers the clues buyers ask about most.
What home tests cannot prove
People often ask me about the bucket test, where you put a mango in water and see whether it floats or sinks. Treat it as a rough clue, not proof. A fruit's density depends on its size, its maturity and the amount of air in the flesh, so water cannot tell you the variety or how it was ripened. The same applies to colour. A seller who says a single test proves authenticity is selling confidence, not information.
What you can do is stack the clues. A fruit that smells right, looks right, feels right and comes with papers you can check is a far better bet than one that passes only a single test. If you want to know about ripening specifically, read our guide on how to identify carbide-ripened mangoes.
Hay-ripened or carbide-ripened
Selling fruit ripened with calcium carbide (acetylene) gas is prohibited in India under Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. Ethylene, up to 100 ppm, is the permitted alternative. So the question to put to any seller is simple: how was this fruit ripened? We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds.
Kesar: the mango and the saffron
Searches for "kesar" lead to two different products. Gir Kesar is a Gujarat mango, said to have been grown in 1931 by the Junagadh Wazir Sale Bhai and said to have been known as Kesar since 1934, when the Nawab of Junagadh remarked on its orange pulp. It is a separate fruit from Alphonso and is not the same as Hapus. We list Kesar mango from Rs 999 per box.
Kesar is also the Hindi word for saffron, the spice. Our Kashmiri Kesar saffron is a spice and has nothing to do with the mango. If you are shopping for Alphonso, make sure the product page says Alphonso or Hapus.
Papers a genuine seller can show
Alphonso from the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt is GI-tagged, so a seller who claims this origin should be able to give you a GI Authorised User certificate number that you can ask about. Ours is AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139). Our Brand Facts page lists it with our FSSAI licence number, 10020022011783. Ratnagiri is a district, and Devgad is a taluka in Sindhudurg district. Both produce the same variety.
- Ask which villages the fruit comes from. We source across 48 villages of the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt.
- Ask how the fruit is picked. Ours is hand-harvested with a zela pole fitted with a catching net, and harvest is done at Brahma Muhurta, before dawn.
- Ask how damage is handled. For us, please report damage within 24 hours of delivery.
Spongy tissue: the flaw you cannot see
Alphonso can develop spongy tissue, an internal flesh disorder. ICAR-IIHR research traced it to the seed shifting into germination mode at about 60% fruit maturity. The skin can look perfect while the pulp inside is soft and pale in patches. No visual check from outside catches it every time, which is why I say a clue is not proof. If you meet it in a fruit, tell the seller.
Buying and storing Alphonso
We sell by the dozen. Alphonso from Ratnagiri or Devgad starts from Rs 1,849 per dozen, and a dozen weighs roughly 1.8 to 3.3 kg depending on grade. Check the product page for the price of the grade you want. We dispatch by Blue Dart, and about 65% of Indian PIN codes get next-day delivery, so check your PIN code at checkout. See Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango and Devgad Alphonso Mango.
Alphonso is harvested from about February to June, with the best supply from March to May. The 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027. Outside that time we do not sell fresh Alphonso. At home, keep firm fruit at room temperature in a single layer and avoid the refrigerator until it is ripe. Our guide to how to ripen Alphonso mango explains more. Pulp tins are available all year.
Hay-ripened vs carbide-ripened mangoes: what differs
| Point | Naturally ripened on hay beds | Ripened with calcium carbide |
|---|---|---|
| Ripening medium | Mature fruit is laid on hay beds and ripens by itself over several days. | Calcium carbide produces acetylene gas, which is used to force ripening. |
| Legality in India | Allowed. | Prohibited. Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 bars selling fruit ripened with acetylene (carbide) gas. |
| Skin colour (rough clue, not proof) | Often uneven: green, gold and a blush can sit together on one fruit. | Colour alone cannot show how a fruit was ripened; an even bright yellow skin is only a rough clue. |
| Aroma (rough clue, not proof) | A sweet fruity smell, strongest near the stalk, builds as the fruit ripens. | Aroma can be weak when ripening is forced; this is a rough clue only. |
| Taste and health note | Sweet with a little acidity, soft flesh. | The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (PIB, 18 May 2024) lists dizziness, irritation, difficulty in swallowing and vomiting among effects linked to carbide residues. |
No home test, including the water or bucket test, proves how a mango was ripened. Ask any seller how the fruit was ripened.
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People also ask
How can I identify a real Alphonso mango?
Look at several clues together: a rounded oval shape, uneven green-gold skin, a sweet smell near the stalk, a gentle give when pressed, and non-fibrous pulp. Then ask the seller for a GI Authorised User certificate number and the place of origin. The papers matter more than any single visual check.
Does the water test prove a mango is natural?
No. The bucket or water test is a rough clue, not proof. Whether a mango floats or sinks depends on its size, maturity and the air in the flesh, so it cannot show the variety or how the fruit was ripened. Ask the seller how it was ripened, and ask for papers.
What is the difference between Alphonso and Kesar mango?
Alphonso, called Hapus in Maharashtra, comes from the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt on the Konkan coast. Kesar is a different mango grown in Gujarat, said to be known as Kesar since 1934. They are separate varieties with different names, and we list each on its own product page.
Which papers should a genuine Alphonso seller show?
A seller of Konkan Alphonso should give a GI Authorised User certificate number, an FSSAI licence number and the village or district of origin. Ours are AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139) and FSSAI 10020022011783, listed on our Brand Facts page. Ask any seller the same questions.
Related searches
- Identify authentic Hapus mango
- Identify carbide-ripened mangoes
- Artificial ripening of mangoes
- Alphonso mango GI tag
- How to ripen Alphonso mango
- Ratnagiri Alphonso mango
- Kesar mango
- Brand Facts
Sources and further reading
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales Regulations, 2011, Regulation 2.3.5 (compendium of 2 April 2025), accessed October 2026.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare via PIB, FSSAI Alerts Fruit Traders to Ensure Compliance with Prohibition of Calcium Carbide in Fruit Ripening (18 May 2024), accessed October 2026.
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Spongy tissue formation in Alphonso mango, accessed October 2026.
- Wikipedia, Alphonso mango, accessed October 2026.
Written by Prashant Powle, founder of AlphonsoMango.in. Last reviewed October 2026.