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Prospects of UV radiation for application in postharvest technology

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Resumo:UV light has been used as a germicidal agent in water treatment and surfaces disinfection because of its capacity to affect DNA of microorganisms. On the other hand, low doses of UV-C irradiation can trigger some favourable reactions in biological organs, such as fruits and vegetables, which can lead to various beneficial effects, such as improvement of their shelf-life or increase in the content of health promoting components. The objective of this work is to review the results of some recent works on the UV application on post harvested fruits and vegetables taking into account both, its direct germicidal activity and its hormectic effects. After the presentation of the hormesis concept, the application of UV to read-to-use fruit and vegetables and, specifically, to various fruits and vegetables, is discussed. The use of UV radiation strictly for hormectic purposes at commercial scale, still needs to be further investigated.
Autores principais:Canada, João
Outros Autores:Alvarenga, Nuno; Ribeiro, Carlos
Assunto:UV light UV-B UV-C Postharvest technology Fruits Vegetables Hormesis
Ano:2012
País:Portugal
Tipo de documento:artigo
Tipo de acesso:acesso aberto
Instituição associada:Instituto Politécnico de Beja
Idioma:inglês
Origem:Repositório Institucional do IPBeja
Descrição
Resumo:UV light has been used as a germicidal agent in water treatment and surfaces disinfection because of its capacity to affect DNA of microorganisms. On the other hand, low doses of UV-C irradiation can trigger some favourable reactions in biological organs, such as fruits and vegetables, which can lead to various beneficial effects, such as improvement of their shelf-life or increase in the content of health promoting components. The objective of this work is to review the results of some recent works on the UV application on post harvested fruits and vegetables taking into account both, its direct germicidal activity and its hormectic effects. After the presentation of the hormesis concept, the application of UV to read-to-use fruit and vegetables and, specifically, to various fruits and vegetables, is discussed. The use of UV radiation strictly for hormectic purposes at commercial scale, still needs to be further investigated.