Effects of light‐emitting diode illumination on the quality of fresh‐cut cherry tomatoes during refrigerated storage
Dehui Kong, Wenting Zhao, Yue Ma, Hao Liang, Xiaoyan Zhao
Abstract
Summary The effects of light‐emitting diode (LED) illumination on the quality of fresh‐cut cherry tomatoes were investigated. Tomatoes were exposed continuously to red, green, blue and white LED light for 7 days and control samples stored in darkness. Results showed that blue light treatment significantly led to more total soluble solids, lycopene concentration and individual phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin) after 7 days of storage. On day‐5, green and blue light‐treated tomatoes showed relatively higher firmness than samples treated by other lights and the control. At the early stage of storage, blue light could preserve the fresh flavour of tomatoes compared to other treatments. Overall, the blue light was most effective in the quality preservation of fresh‐cut cherry tomatoes and could be used as a novel strategy in the preservation of fresh‐cut fruits and vegetables during shelf life.