UV-C technology to control postharvest diseases in fruits and vegetables

CIVELLO PM, VICENTE AR, MARTINEZ GA

Recent Advances in Alternative Postharvest Technologies to Control Fungal Diseases in Fruits and Vegetables

Transworld Research Network

Año: 2007; p. 71 - 102

In the last decades considerable efforts have been sustained to develop alternative strategies to chemical methods to control postharvest diseases. One of such strategies has been the use of UV-C radiation. Postharvest UV-treatments consist in exposing the commodities for a certain period of time under a bank of UV lamps, with a maximal emission at 254 nm. UV-C treatments have been shown to be effective to control the most common postharvest pathogens. Although it is known that UV-C radiation has a germicide effect, the reduction in disease incidence and severity observed in UV-C treated tissues results at least in part from an activation of defense response mechanisms in the commodities, such as the induction of pathogenesis related proteins and the accumulation of phytoalexins. UV-C treatments have been also found to be useful to modulate ripening and senescence expanding the potential benefits of the technology. Reductions in softening and ripening rate have been observed in several UV-C treated products. Increased antioxidant accumulation has been also found in the case of UV-C treated grapes, suggesting that the treatments could be also used to increase the nutritional value of some commodities. Furthermore, a reduction in the incidence and severity of chilling injury has been reported in the case of UV-C treated peaches and peppers. UV-C treatments have several advantages that encourage their use as postharvest treatments. They are simple, fast, dry and cold processes requiring less space than other methods, low maintenance and have low cost. The capital investment required is usually low. Furthermore, in general there are no legal restrictions for their application. The use of UV-C treatments could be envisioned a promising non-thermal process in postharvest technology. The benefits of UV-C treatments could be added to the already available tools and be considered in postharvest quality and disease management programs. Further work will be useful in order to fully understand physiological basis of the response of horticultural crops to UV-C radiation. The final adoption of UV-C technology will depend on the efficacy to up-scale the treatments from laboratory studies to semi-commercial and commercial scenarios and technological transfer should be a central focus of future works.