Effect of low‐dose high‐energy electron beam irradiation on postharvest storage quality of Actinidia arguta

Abstract

To study the effect of low-dose electron beam irradiation treatment on the postharvest storage quality of Actinidia arguta. The kiwifruit was irradiated with 300, 400, and 500 Gy electron beams, respectively, stored at 0–1°C with 90%–95% RH. The physical and chemical indexes, physiological indexes, and resistance enzyme activities of the fruits were determined. The results showed that 400 Gy electron beam irradiation (EBI) effectively inhibited the increase of weight loss, total soluble solid (TSS) content, respiration rate, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and the ethylene production, slowed down the moisture and titratable acid (TA) content loss, while significantly increased the peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities. Compared with the untreated fruits, 400 Gy EBI treatment prolonged the shelf life by 20 days. The overall results indicated that as a green postharvest treatment technology, EBI could effectively delay the senescence process, maintain storage quality, and extend the shelf life of the kiwifruit. Practical applications In recent years, electron beam irradiation (EBI) technology has been widely employed for fruit and vegetable storage and processing due to its advantages of high energy utilization, low cost, easy control, safety, and pollution-free. Kiwifruit, a typical climacteric fruit, is prone to dehydration shrinkage, and rot, significantly reducing its edible quality and commercial value. Thus, choosing an appropriate storage and preservation technology is of great significance for the postharvest storage of kiwifruit. The present study results elucidated that 400 Gy dose EBI treatment had a positive effect on inhibiting weight loss of kiwifruit during storage, improving the activities of PAL and POD resistant enzymes, and reducing MDA accumulation. Therefore, the EBI treatment could be a potential green physical preservation technology for kiwifruit post-harvest treatment to maintain fruit storage quality and extend shelf life.