The effect of ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C) on chilling injury of cucumbers during cold storage,

Pre-storage exposure of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Silor) with ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C) for 3, 5, 10 or 15 min reduced chilling injury until 10 days of storage at 5°C. Electrolyte leakage (EL) of samples treated for 15 min with UV-C was lower than those of the other UV-C treatments and control samples at the 10th day of storage at 5°C. The green colour of UV-C-treated cucumbers was maintained better during storage than that of the control samples, but differences among the treatments were not significant. Weight loss of cucumbers in all UV-C treatments was higher than in control at 5°C, and also weight loss of cucumber at 5°C was higher than at 10°C due to chilling injury. Fruit firmness decreased in all treatments at 5°C, but it remained high in samples at 10°C. The results suggest that UV-C treatments could be a useful non-chemical method to delay chilling injury and deterioration of other quality characteristics of cucumber at 5°C.