ABSTRACT
Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables exposed to atmospheric condition lead to rapid degradation. On this ground, promising technologies for sustaining produce quality and to inhibit the harmful microbial growth are being investigated to obtain longer shelf life. Nowadays, treatment with ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly used in food processing industry as it is lethal to most types of microorganisms and leaves no residue in the treated food. Postharvest fruit senescence has been delayed in many fruits when UV-C light was used as a treatment. In minimally processed fruits, use of UV-C light has increased the levels of polyphenols and flavonoids. Exposure of UV-C light activates the synthesis of health-promoting compounds in fruits and vegetables such as anthocyanin and stilbenoids.
