355 Effect of UV-C on Ripening and Postharvest Quality of Peaches

Brown rot of peaches is one of the most devastating diseases that can occur before and after harvest. There has been extensive research that has shown that ultraviolet light (UV-C) kills the fungus that causes brown rot. However, it is has not been determined whether UV-C will also change ripening and fruit quality. We applied UV-C to `Loring' peaches that were harvested 10 days before normal harvest. We intentionally picked the fruit early because we wanted to make sure the fruit had not entered the climacteric. The fruit were treated with UV-C and ethylene, skin color, firmness, and soluble solids were measured. We also held fruit at three storage temperatures to determine whether there may be an interaction between UV-C treatment and storage temperature. Ethylene was slightly higher for UV-C treated fruit at 70 °F (20 °C) and 55 °F (12 °C), but not at 40 °F (4 °C). However, there was very little effect on firmness and soluble solids. There was a slight delay in development of red blush. UV-C had little effect on ripening and peach fruit quality.