An alternative method to maintain the quality of cucumbers with pre-storage UV-C treatment

Postharvest UV-C treatment (180-280 nm) has been shown to reduce pathogen growth, delay the ripening and senescence in a range of fresh fruits and vegetables. Freshly harvested cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were exposed to UV-C lights at four different intensities at 20°C then stored for up to 12 days at 20°C and 90% RH. Fruit quality was assessed at 3 day intervals. The results showed that fruits exposed to any postharvest UV-C treatment had significantly lower levels of postharvest flesh rots and this UV-C treatment effect was dose dependent. UV-C treatment also affected fruit respiration rate, color and chlorophyll content with the highest UV-C dosage having the largest effect on respiration rate, skin color and chlorophyll content. UV-C treatment had no significant impact on weight loss and fruit firmness during storage. Untreated fruits had the lowest acceptability compared to other treatments. These results suggest that pre-storage of UV-C treatments have the potential to reduce the incidence of decay and improve acceptability of cucumbers at 20°C storage.