Abstract

Grape as a perishable fruit is susceptible to fungal infection especially Botrytis cinerea, as an agent of gray mold, and berry dehydration. There are limitations in use of synthetic chemical compounds to control postharvest losses in grape and other fruits. The aim of this study was the evaluation of non-chemical and safe methods for this purpose. Therefore, ozone soluted at 0.3 ppm concentration with three treatment times (5, 10 and 15 min), in water was applied on ‘Bidaneh Qermez’ grape cultivar. Qualitative characteristics (decay, vitamin C, reducing sugars, weight loss, berry abscission, dehydration, cracking and sensory analyses) were evaluated. The results showed that treated fruits with ozone had lower decay percentage, weight loss, berry dehydration, abscission, cracking and higher reducing sugars and storage quality compared to controls. As a general result, ozone treatment caused lower decay incident and longer storability.

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