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Influence of Postharvest UV-C Hormesis on the Bioactive Components of Tomato during Post-treatment Handling

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Abstract

Mature green tomato fruit exposed to a pre-determined hormetic dose of UV-C (3.7 kJ/m2) and untreated fruit (control) were stored at 13 °C and 95% relative humidity. After 10, 20, and 30 days of storage, fruits were randomly sampled and transferred to room temperature (23 °C) for 7 and 14 days to allow ripening. Edible pericarp was excised from the equatorial region for subsequent analyses of the antioxidant components. Ascorbic acid and total phenolic contents were higher in the UV-treated tomatoes, but UV treatment significantly reduced the lycopene content of the tomatoes. The UV treatment did not affect significantly the antioxidant activity of the hydrophilic extract, expressed as Trolox equivalent. Both storage and ripening period were found to affect positively all the bioactive components of tomato evaluated in this study. The results suggest the possible existence of a window of opportunity for the development of practices based on storage temperature and duration to preserve the beneficial effects expected from UV-C hormesis and to circumvent its negative impact on lycopene synthesis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. They are also in debt to Mrs. Dominique Roussel and Mr. Jérôme Boutin for their technical assistance and to Dr. Simplice Yaganza and Dr. Sylvie Jenni for their critical review of the manuscript.

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  1. S. L. Jagadeesh

    Present address: K.R.C. College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    S. L. Jagadeesh, Y. Gariepy & G. S. V. Raghavan

  2. Horticulture Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

    M. T. Charles, B. Goyette & C. Vigneault

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  1. S. L. Jagadeesh
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Correspondence to M. T. Charles.

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Jagadeesh, S.L., Charles, M.T., Gariepy, Y. et al. Influence of Postharvest UV-C Hormesis on the Bioactive Components of Tomato during Post-treatment Handling. Food Bioprocess Technol 4, 1463–1472 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-009-0259-y

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