Effect of UV-C Radiation Intensity on Post-harvest Quality of Two Eggplant Varieties (Solanum aetipicum anguivi L and Solanum macrocarpon L)

Abstract

In Côte d’Ivoire, eggplant is one of the most cultivated and consumed vegetables. However, this vegetable is very perishable. This work was developed to evaluate the effect of different UV-C concentrations on the conservation of eggplants with a view to identifying which one would provide better conservation of eggplants grown in Côte d'Ivoire. In this study, two eggplant varieties Solanum aetiopicum anguivi L (Klongbo) and Solanum macrocarpon L (Gbokouman) were treated with three doses of UV-C (960 Kj m-2; 1920 Kj m-2 or 2880 Kj m-2) in order to determine the optimal dose: non-deleterious while preserving or enhancing the qualitative attributes of the vegetable. The proximate composition and the infection rate were determined according to standard and referenced methods. Treatment at 960 Kj m-2 had no significant effect on fruit quality attributes compared to untreated fruit, while treatment at 2880 Kj m-2 accelerated fruit color changes and loss fruit mass. The treatment at 1920 Kj m-2 allowed the fruits to better preserve their quality over time. During this treatment, the infection rate was reduced by 45 % for the “Gbokouman” variety and 40 % for the “Klongbo” variety. With this same dose of UVC, mass loss was reduced by 10.74% for the “Klongbo” variety and 33.48 % for the “Gbokouman” variety. An increase in the content of phenolic compounds as well as that of antioxidant activity was also observed. The dose of 1920 Kj m-2 is therefore the optimal dose which would allow the “Gbokouman” and “Klongbo” eggplant varieties to be preserved for a long period of marketing and conservation.