Recent developments and innovation in eco-friendly UV technologies for ensuring fruit safety and quality

GÓMEZ, PAULA L.; POK, PAULA S.; JARAMILLO SÁNCHEZ, GABRIELA; ALZAMORA, STELLA MARIS; CONTIGIANI, EUNICE; RAFFELLINI, SILVIA; GONZALEZ, HÉCTOR L.

Selected Topics in Food Process Engineering

Springer Nature

Lugar: Switzerland; Año: 2024;

The commercialization of fruit is compromised by their rapid maturation and postharvestdecay. Ultraviolet (UV) light – based technologies are both non-thermal and mild thermalphysical preservation techniques that have been successfully used to reduce pathogenic andspoilage microorganisms on the surface of the fruit and in transparent juices, extending theirshelf life. But besides its germicidal properties (majorly attributed to the UV-C region of theUV spectrum), UV light has numerous modes of action on living cells, entailing biological(beneficial or negative) effects in the fruit matrix, which depend, among others, on the type ofUV illumination source, the wavelength(s) and the doses applied, and the storage temperature.Exposure of fruit to UV hormetic doses during postharvest processing can stimulate a defenseresponse in plant tissues (which could lead to the elicitation of secondary metabolites withantimicrobial and antioxidant properties), delay ripening and senescence, and induce fruitresistance to heterologous stresses. Another not very studied UV light application in fruit isthe reduction of toxic organic compounds’ levels (i.e. mycotoxins).Recent developments in UV light-emitting diodes (UV LED) lamps, and advances inknowledge on the microbial response, the physiological effects in fruit, and the combinationof UV light with other antimicrobial factors for increasing the germicidal effectiveness, mayfacilitate industry-wide adoption of these lighting technologies.