Effect of ultraviolet-C radiation on “Kumagai” guavas infested by Ceratitis capitata (Diptera—Tephritidae) and on physical parameters of postharvest

• Published in: Scientia horticulturae 2014-01, Vol.165, p.295-302
• Main Authors: JanuáriaVieira, Stella Maria, Raga, Adalton, Benedetti, Benedito Carlos, Oliveira, Rafael Augustus de, Marco, Perla Gómez Di, Scarponi, Ana Paula de Toledo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Commodity treatment; Fruit fly; Post-harvest treatment; Quarantine treatment; Radiation
• ISSN: 0304-4238; 1879-1018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2013.11.015

•We evaluate UV-C radiation to disinfest guava fruits from fruit flies.•We determine the UV-C doses to avoid fruit fly pupation.•We determine the UV-C doses to prevent fruit fly adult emergence.•New quarantine treatment by using UV-C radiation is available.•Disinfestation of guavas fruits for exportation. Physical quarantine methods are being developed to replace fumigants to control arthropods and microorganisms during post-harvest management of fruit and vegetables. This study aims to evaluate the use of UV-C radiation to disinfest guava with Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) eggs and evaluate the quality of fruit irradiated at two different storage temperatures. For the in vitro test, one-day old C. capitata eggs were exposed to increasing doses of UV-C radiation and stored in a B.O.D. chamber. Applying in vivo tests, ‘Kumagai’ guavas were exposed to artificial infestation by medfly. After infestation, the fruits were subjected to an increasing intensity of UV-C radiation and stored in a B.O.D. incubator at 23.0±0.2°C for about 20 days. In vitro tests indicated that 1.383kJm−2 UV-C on C. capitata eggs was capable of preventing the eclosion of larvae. However, guavas infested by medfly eggs needed 16.0kJm−2 of UV-C to prevent pupation. The guavas subjected to treatment with UV-C radiation and stored at a temperature of 8±0.2°C, obtained much better responses in terms of quality indices than those stored at 22±0.2°C, which lends credence to the storage temperature being a key factor in maintaining fruit quality.