Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dip wash treatments with 2% citric acid (CA), 0.2% benzoic acid (BA), 0.2% sorbic acid (SA) and acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) followed by 2 kJ·m–2 ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the postharvest decay and quality of strawberry fruit cultivar ‘Malvina’, as compared to control, and UV alone treated samples. Weight loss, firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, total phenolics content, total anthocyanins content, antioxidant activity and decay incidence of control and treated strawberry fruits were investigated during cold storage at 8 °C for 21 days. The result showed that UV-treated fruits had a lower weight loss, higher titratable acidity, phenolic and anthocyanin content and were firmer than the untreated fruits. Dip wash in AEW before UVC treatment reduced weight loss and increased firmness of strawberry fruits but did not significantly affect total phenolic content, total anthocyanins content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity and fruit decay. Dip wash treatment with organic acids followed by UVC irradiation was significantly more effective than UV treatment alone in reducing fruit decay and weight loss and in maintaining at higher levels titratable acidity, total anthocyanins content, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of strawberries during refrigerated storage. The present findings demonstrate that dip wash treatment with 0.2% SA, 0.2% BA or 2% CA followed by UV treatment can be an effective method for maintaining the phytochemical content and delaying the decay of strawberry fruit during cold storage.
Highlights
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a very popular fruit with huge nutraceutical and commercial value, appreciated by consumers for its unique flavor and nutritious qualities (Bianco et al 2009; Parvez and Wani 2018)
The present findings demonstrate that dip wash treatment with 0.2% sorbic acid (SA), 0.2% benzoic acid (BA) or 2% citric acid (CA) followed by UV treatment can be an effective method for maintaining the phytochemical content and delaying the decay of strawberry fruit during cold storage
After removing the calyx and peduncle, fruits were washed in tap water, drained at ambient temperature, placed on filter paper and randomly divided into six groups (80 fruits per group) corresponding to the following treatments: (C) – fruits dipped in tap water; (UV) – fruits dipped in tap water and UVC irradiated; (CA + UV) – fruits dipped in 2% citric acid and UVC irradiated; (AEW + UV) – fruits dipped in acidic electrolyzed water and UVC irradiated; (BA + UV) – fruits dipped in 0.2% benzoic acid and UVC irradiated; (SA + UV) – fruits dipped in 0.2% sorbic acid and UVC irradiated
Summary
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a very popular fruit with huge nutraceutical and commercial value, appreciated by consumers for its unique flavor and nutritious qualities (Bianco et al 2009; Parvez and Wani 2018). Strawberries contain high levels of phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids and phenolic acids, that strongly influence the sensorial and nutritional quality of the fruits and possess excellent free radical scavenging capacity (Erkan et al 2008). The nonthermal physical treatments, such as ultrasound or ultraviolet processing, have shown effectiveness and significant advantages in ensuring microbial safety of fresh fruits (Deng et al 2020) Organic acids, such as citric (CA), benzoic (BA) and sorbic (SA) acids, have been used to control spoilage or pathogenic bacteria on fresh and freshcut fruits and vegetables by disturbing their ionic permeability across the membrane, anion accumulation and decreasing the internal cellular pH (Parish et al 2003). Several previous studies have reported on the effectiveness of AEW to inactivate contaminant microbiota on fresh-cut apples, carrots and on ready-to-eat vegetables and sprouts (Graça et al 2011; Issa-Zacharia et al 2011; Koide et al 2011)
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