Pulsed light of near‐infrared and visible light wavelengths induces the accumulation of carotenoids in tomato fruits during post‐treatment time

Abstract

Pulsed light (PL) is proposed as a novel strategy for the food industry to enhance the antioxidant potential of fruits and vegetables for industrial uses. The main aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of postharvest PL treatments of different spectral ranges on the carotenoid concentration as well as quality attributes of tomatoes during post‐treatment time. Doses of wide‐spectrum light (180–1100 nm), full‐spectrum without ultraviolet (UV)‐C wavelengths (305–1100 nm), and visible (VIS) + near‐infrared light (NIR) (400–1100 nm) were compared. Total carotenoids, lycopene, and chlorophyll contents were spectrophotometrically assessed just after treatments and 1, 5, and 10 days post‐treatment. PL treatments accelerated the accumulation of both total carotenoids and lycopene concentrations in tomato fruits. Nevertheless, the efficacy of PL depended on the applied spectral range. Tomato subjected to VIS + NIR treatment exhibited the greatest enhancement in total carotenoids (31 %) and lycopene (35 %) content at day 5 post‐treatment and quality attributes were not affected. Conversely, UV‐light exposure did not enhance carotenoid concentrations. These results evidenced that VIS + NIR treatments induced a faster accumulation of carotenoids without negatively affecting tomato quality attributes. Practical Application The integration of visible and near‐infrared (VIS + NIR) light filters in pulsed light (PL) processing allows enhancing the accumulation of bioactive compounds in tomato tissues in a sustainable way, which can be processed to obtain derived products (e.g., juices, purees) with health‐promoting properties. PL technology is characterized by a lack of residual compounds and the absence of applying chemicals potentially harmful to humans. Industries can attract the attention of consumers through their application, which allows offering this added value.

Ultrasound Treatment Improves Fruit Quality of Postharvest Blood Oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck): Anthocyanin Enrichment and Its Biosynthesis

“…However, other studies demonstrated that PL treatments could increase the contents of bioactive components in fruits and vegetables. For example, PL treatments promoted the total carotenoid accumulation in tomato fruits by modulating the phytoene synthase activity . Additionally, PL treatments enriched the phenolic compounds (by 55%) in melons by increasing PAL activity .…”

“…For example, PL treatments promoted the total carotenoid accumulation in tomato fruits by modulating the phytoene synthase activity. 30 Additionally, PL treatments enriched the phenolic compounds (by 55%) in melons by increasing PAL activity. 17 These differences can be attributed to the intensity of the PL treatment.…”

Modeling non‐isothermal pathogen inactivation during liquid foods processing by pulsed light technology

“…Hence, studying the effect of light absorbance of bioactive compounds on the microbial inactivation efficiency by light pulses becomes important (Vollmer et al, 2020). Furthermore, it has been reported that the temperature gradient induced by the infrared portion of light in the PL treatment (Basak et al, 2022; González‐Casado et al, 2022), heats the surface layer of food, transferring the heat to the interior of the product. Despite stabilizing the temperature post‐PL treatment, photothermal damage occurs in the microbial cell membranes that combine with the PL photochemical mechanism and induces cell death of the microorganisms (Dunn et al, 1989; Wekhof, 2000; Wiktor et al, 2019).…”

Light in post-harvest physiology of juicy fruits

“…Проведено изучение действия послеуборочной обработки PL различных спектральных диапазонов на содержание каротиноидов и качественные характеристики томатов при хранении после обработки [9]. Сравнивались широкий спектр (180-1 100 нм), полный спектр без ультрафиолетового УФ-С или без видимого (VIS) + ближнего инфракрасного (NIR) (400-1100 нм).…”