Effect of prestorage UV-A, -B, and -C radiation on fruit quality and anthocyanin of 'Duke' blueberries during cold storage.

Ultraviolet (UV)-A, -B, and -C were radiated to full-ripe blueberries (cv. 'Duke'), and their effects on fruit qualities and phytonutrients during subsequent cold storage were investigated. The blueberries were exposed to each UV light at 6 kJ/m(2) and then stored at 0 °C for 28 days. Weight loss and decay of the fruits after UV treatment were significantly decreased during the cold storage. The total phenolics and antioxidant activities of blueberries after UV-B and -C treatments were always higher than those of the control and UV-A treatment. Individual anthocyanins were markedly increased during the 3 h after the UV-B and -C treatments. The correlation matrix between total phenolics, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity measured by the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay indicated a significantly close correlation with the individual anthocyanin contents. It was confirmed that the prestorage treatments of UV-B and -C increased the storability and phytochemical accumulation of the full-ripe 'Duke' blueberries during cold storage.