Application of Low Dose UV-C Irradiation for Shelf-Life Extension of Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch)

Abstract

For shelf-life improvement of the domestic peach, a treatment with low dose UV-C (0～3.0 kJ/㎡) irradiation was performed and the spoilage rate and changes of physico-chemical and sensory properties of the peach were investigated. Control showed spoilage at day 4, and then 50% of control showed spoilage at day 8. However, samples treated with low dose UV-C showed lower percentage of spoilage than those of control at day 8. Weight changes of control and the samples with UV-C treatment showed no difference during the storage period. There was no difference in pH of samples among the treatments but they were increased by storage time. Hardness of samples was not different among treatments at initial stage of storage after UV-C treatment. However, the hardness of control sample was decreased faster than those of the samples with low dose UV-C treatment after 6 days of storage. No significant changes in lightness, redness and yellowness of the samples by UV-C treatment were observed. The sensory parameters including taste, flavor, and color at initial and during storage period were not different among treatments except for texture and overall acceptance. The scores for texture and overall acceptance of control were decreased faster than those of UV-C treatments during storage. In general, samples treated with low dose UV-C showed higher sensory quality than control.