Exploiting UV-C postharvest effects on brown rot management and shelf life of apricot fruit

Monilia species are well known for being very aggressive and causing heavy losses on stone fruits during the postharvest period. The effect of exposure of apricot fruits to ultraviolet-C radiation (UV-C, 253.7 nm) was studied as a post-harvest treatment to control spoilage and prolong the shelf life. The study was carried out along with the observation of the growth on fruits artificially inoculated with a suspension of Monilinia fructicola and in presence of natural infections, treated under UV-C at a distance of 25 cm between apricots and the 15 W UV-C source, in comparison to untreated samples used as control. Estimation of microbial growth as well as chemicalphysical determination was made at 0, 3, 7, 10, 17, 24 and 37 days after the treatment under refrigerated storage, and after 0, 3, 5, and 10 days after the treatment at room temperature storage. As regard in vivo experiments, UVC provided after 18 days of incubation significant reductions ranging about from 44 up to 63 % under artificial infections and 100 % in presence of natural infections of brown rot of apricot fruit caused by Monilia spp. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report about UV-C performance against apricot brown rot caused by Monilia spp. without detrimental effects for host crop. UV-C treated fruits showed a delay in respiration rate, both under room temperature and refrigerated conditions; while the inoculation has increased the weight loss and the loss of biochemical compounds compared to control samples. UV-C light had no impact on the color of samples, positively registering no statistical differences during the observation period. Despite further studies are needed to confirm the data, this paper can represent a starting point to set up an innovative and eco-friendly disease management approach.