Effect of electrolyzed water and continuous ozone exposure on some aspects of clementine quality during conservation

Maintaining the quality of fruits and vegetables during postharvest is a difficult challenge. Due to regulation, there are few chemicals still available for postharvest application, and even those can be used only under restrictive conditions. The use of integrated strategies to protect the environment and minimize potential damages resulting from the use of pesticides is expected to increase. Among the possible strategies, the use of electrolyzed water (EW) looks very promising. EW has good antioxidant and antimicrobial effects and is an effective surface sanitizer. In this research, clementine citrus fruit were treated with EW produced by EVA System® 100 (Industrie De Nora S.p.A. Italy), in the field or immediately after harvest. Fruit were stored at 4±1°C for 20 days with or without gaseous ozone (O3) at 0.3 ppm, then at 23°C for 7 days. At the end of the storage period, decay severity, fungal contamination and fruit soluble solid content (SSC) were evaluated. The results showed that both EW treatment and O3 presence during storage at 4°C, significantly reduced microbial contamination and maintained SSC at values significantly higher than those on untreated fruit for the whole experimental period. However, the best effect was obtained when EW treatment was associated with storage in presence of O3. These results showed that it is possible to improve the quality of citrus fruit by low cost and easy to use strategies.