Use of UV-C treatments to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of green fresh-cut bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).

J Food Sci

Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CONICET-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas-UNLP, Calle 47 esq 116, La Plata, Buenos Aires CP 1900, Argentina.

Published: June 2012

Unlabelled: The objective of this work was to select a Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment for fresh-cut mature green bell pepper, and to evaluate the effect of its combination with refrigeration on quality maintenance. Bell pepper sticks were treated with 0, 3, 10, or 20 kJ/m² UV-C in the outer (O), inner (I), or both sides of the pericarp (I/O) and stored for 8 d at 10 °C. During the first 5 d of storage, all UV-C treatments reduced deterioration as compared to the control. The treatment with 20 kJ/m² I/O was the most effective to reduce deterioration, and was used for further evaluations. In a second group of experiments, mature green bell pepper sticks were treated with 20 kJ/m² I/O, stored at 5 °C for 7 or 12 d and assessed for physical and chemical analysis, and microbiological quality. UV-C-treated fruit showed lower exudates and shriveling than the control. UV exposure also reduced decay, tissue damage, and electrolyte leakage. After 12 d at 5 °C, UV-C irradiated peppers remained firmer and had higher resistance to deformation than the control. The UV-C treatments also reduced weight loss and pectin solubilization. UV-C exposure decreased the counts of mesophile bacteria and molds, and did not affect acidity or sugars. UV-C-treated fruit stored for 0 or 7 d at 5 °C did not show major differences in antioxidants from the control as measured against DPPH(•) or ABTS(•)⁺ radicals. Results suggest that UV-C exposure is useful to maintain quality of refrigerated fresh-cut green pepper.

Practical Application: Exposure to UV-C radiation before packing and refrigeration could be a useful nonchemical alternative to maintain quality and reduce postharvest losses in the fresh-cut industry.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02746.xDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

bell pepper
16
uv-c treatments
12
maintain quality
12
stored °c
12
uv-c
9
mature green
8
green bell
8
pepper sticks
8
sticks treated
8
treated kj/m²
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!