Articles
Increased shelf-life of raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) after UV-C treatments
Article number
1396_70
Pages
527 – 536
Language
English
Abstract
Raspberry is one of the most popular berry fruits, but due to very high sensitivity to different postharvest losses, it has a short shelf life.
To improve postharvest storage, there are some useful treatments, one of which is the UV treatment: a non-destructive method consisting of irradiating the fruit after harvest with light of specific wavelengths and intensities.
For this reason, UV-C radiation (200-280 nm) treatments were applied to sanitize Diamond Jubilee raspberries and reduce their postharvest decay due to fungal attacks.
All treatments were carried out at a relative irradiance of 18.58 W m‑2, with different irradiation times: 2, 5, 10, and 15 min (irradiation energy of 0.25, 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 J cm‑2). After the UV treatments, samples were stored in plastic clamshells in a climate chamber at 10°C (3, 7, and 9 days) to simulate retail conditions.
Analyses of the samples focused on total polyphenol content, L* and h* colorimetric parameters, and the percentage of disease incidence in relation to the day of harvest.
The results show a decrease in disease incidence in the treated samples, with a greater decrease with longer exposure times.
UV-C treatment does not cause any losses in the total phenolic content, on the contrary, it is improved after 7 days of storage.
Finally, the treated fruits have a more intense and brighter color.
In conclusion, the sanitizing action of UV-C leads to an increased shelf life.
Furthermore, direct exposure of raspberries to UV-C light does not lead to a deterioration of nutraceutical and quality parameters.
To improve postharvest storage, there are some useful treatments, one of which is the UV treatment: a non-destructive method consisting of irradiating the fruit after harvest with light of specific wavelengths and intensities.
For this reason, UV-C radiation (200-280 nm) treatments were applied to sanitize Diamond Jubilee raspberries and reduce their postharvest decay due to fungal attacks.
All treatments were carried out at a relative irradiance of 18.58 W m‑2, with different irradiation times: 2, 5, 10, and 15 min (irradiation energy of 0.25, 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 J cm‑2). After the UV treatments, samples were stored in plastic clamshells in a climate chamber at 10°C (3, 7, and 9 days) to simulate retail conditions.
Analyses of the samples focused on total polyphenol content, L* and h* colorimetric parameters, and the percentage of disease incidence in relation to the day of harvest.
The results show a decrease in disease incidence in the treated samples, with a greater decrease with longer exposure times.
UV-C treatment does not cause any losses in the total phenolic content, on the contrary, it is improved after 7 days of storage.
Finally, the treated fruits have a more intense and brighter color.
In conclusion, the sanitizing action of UV-C leads to an increased shelf life.
Furthermore, direct exposure of raspberries to UV-C light does not lead to a deterioration of nutraceutical and quality parameters.
Authors
F. Alchera, A. Varaldo, C. Peano, G. Giacalone
Keywords
UV treatments, raspberry, storage, defect-free, physical elicitor
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