Continuous Ozonation Coupled with UV-C Irradiation for a Sustainable Post-Harvest Processing of Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. Fruits to Reduce Storage Losses

Natalia Matłok (), Tomasz Piechowiak, Miłosz Zardzewiały, Bogdan Saletnik and Maciej Balawejder
Additional contact information
Natalia Matłok: Department of Food and Agriculture Production Engineering, Collegium of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Tomasz Piechowiak: Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Collegium of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Miłosz Zardzewiały: Department of Food and Agriculture Production Engineering, Collegium of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Bogdan Saletnik: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Maciej Balawejder: Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Collegium of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Ozonation and UV irradiation are promising sustainable methods for extending the shelf life of stored fruits. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the constructed system, enabling simultaneous ozonation and UV-C irradiation of cranberry fruits in extending their shelf life. The effectiveness of this solution was determined by analyzing the properties of fruits subjected to the processes. The impact of these processes on the shelf life of fruits was assessed during 42 days of storage at a temperature of 8 °C and 80% humidity. It was demonstrated that applying the ozonation process to fruits, as facilitated by the developed solution’s throughput, led to a reduction in microbiological load (fermentation bacteria count reduction by 3.4 log cfu −1 ), resulting in an extension of their shelf life and a reduction in storage losses (8.98% by mass). The implementation of the developed solution, by reducing water loss and limiting fruit losses (approximately 5% less compared to the control group) during storage, contributes to tangible benefits for the producers and distributors of these fruits. The proposed modification has a positive environmental effect by reducing waste and makes the cultivation of cranberries more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Keywords: Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. fruits; cranberry fruit; ozone treatment; UV-C irradiation; microbiological load; shelf life; waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/13/5420/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/13/5420/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:13:p:5420-:d:1422524

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().