The Future of Papaya Preservation: Cutting-Edge Physical Treatments for Post-Harvest Quality Control

by Jorge Luis Alonso with ChatGPT The eFood journal article provides an overview of the latest physical treatment methods used for maintaining the quality of papaya fruit and managing diseases affecting it. Below is a summary of the article?s key points. Introduction Papaya is a widely grown fruit in more than 60 countries worldwide, with India being the top producer. Although papaya is a nutritious and medicinal fruit, it is prone to postharvest losses and diseases, causing over 50% of production loss due to fungal diseases. To address this issue, growers are exploring eco-friendly postharvest treatments, such as essential oils, plant hormones, edible coatings, heat treatments, UV irradiation, bioagents, and biodegradable packaging, which activate the fruit?s defense mechanisms without affecting quality. This article discusses recent advancements in physical treatments for quality preservation and disease management in papaya fruit. Physical Treatments Physical treatments, including hot water treatment (HWT), ozonation, irradiation, and low-temperature treatment, are highly effective in maintaining postharvest quality, controlling disease, and extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. These treatments are environmentally friendly, safe for consumption, and provide a high cost-benefit ratio. However, they have some limitations, such as variable response and impact on product quality. To improve fruit quality and extend shelf life, novel treatments such as cold plasma, ultrasound, pulsed light, pulsed electric field, and packaging should be explored. Thermal Treatments Thermal treatments are an effective, eco-friendly method of controlling plant pathogens and improving fruit storage quality. Hot water treatment, vapor heat treatment, hot-air treatment, radio frequency (RF) and microwave treatment are commonly used methods to control fungal spores. Forced hot air in papaya treatment induces defense activity, and antifungal effects slow ripening, and inhibit fungal growth, possibly due to upregulated phenylpropanoid metabolism. Irradiation Food irradiation is a non-thermal process that exposes food to specific doses of non-ionizing or ionizing radiation to kill microbes, improve cleanliness and safety, and enhance shelf life and distribution. Gamma irradiation can penetrate various types of coatings and surfaces to reduce microbial loads. Although irradiation increases free radicals, leading to membrane damage, mutations, protein breakdown, and growth suppression in microbial cells, it inhibits pathogenic fungi and cell wall degrading enzymes, preserves biochemical components, and delays fruit ripening. Ozone Treatment Ozone treatment is a safe, clean option for preserving fresh papaya fruit and preventing postharvest diseases. Ozone?s strong oxidative capacity interacts with CO2 and water, kills microorganisms by targeting their biological components, and induces oxidative damage. Ozone can delay fruit ripening and extend shelf life by interacting with ethylene. Ozone treatment is effective in reducing the incidence of anthracnose in papaya fruit. Low-Temperature Treatment Various low-temperature treatments, such as cold shock treatment and near-freezing temperature storage, can improve the quality and shelf life of horticultural crops. These treatments induce chilling tolerance by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and gene expression, decreasing the browning index, and inhibiting ripening-related processes. Synergistic Effects Combining physical treatments with chemical and/or biological treatments improves food safety and quality. Different combined treatments have been studied for papaya fruit, such as low-dose gamma irradiation and hot water immersion, integration of control measures with chitosan and UV-C, hot water spray and chitosan, hot water treatment and calcium, and hot water treatment and ozonated water. These treatments have been proven to reduce fungal infections, delay fruit ripening, improve bioactive compounds, maintain firmness, and extend shelf life without negatively affecting the sensory profile. Conclusion and Future Recommendations Prevention of postharvest losses and diseases in papaya requires action-oriented measures. Physical treatments such as hot water treatment, ozonation, and irradiation have been shown to be effective in preserving fruit quality and extending shelf life. However, more research is needed on advanced approaches such as ultrasound and cold plasma. Combining physical treatments with chemical and biological approaches may be a promising solution, but standardization of treatment protocols is critical. It?s important to systematically study the compatibility of different methods and their effects on biochemical pathways, gene expression and respiration to realize their full potential. Scaling up photolytic processes such as UV light/PL to industrial levels is a viable alternative to chemical solutions. Combination technologies can minimize the microbial load and should be further explored. Source: Vinod, B. R., Asrey, R., Sethi, S., Prakash, J., Meena, N. K., Menaka, M., Mishra, S., & Shivaswamy, G. (2023). Recent advances in physical treatments of papaya fruit for postharvest quality retention: A review. eFood, 4( 2), e79. Author:?Jorge Luis?Alonso G. (with ChatGPT)?Maximizing Agribusiness Profits with Expert Postharvest Storage Strategies | Horticultural Writing Specialist.?This article was written exclusively for the business platform Postharvest. Image by Couleur from Pixabay