Evaluating the Impact of UV-C Radiation on the Shelf life of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch)

Evaluating the Impact of UV-C Radiation on the Shelf life of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Evaluating the Impact of UV-C Radiation on the Shelf life of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) Glenford Gamilde, Johnstephen Tabas, Renoa Roice Laguyo, Sirach Mae Salazar, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7593377/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Strawberries are a major fruit crop in Benguet Province, Philippines, especially in the municipality of La Trinidad. However, their short shelf life and high susceptibility to spoilage present significant challenges for farmers and sellers. The cool climate in Benguet makes it an ideal environment for strawberry cultivation, which is why the fruit is widely grown in the province. Methods: This study comprised an experimental method that utilized a descriptive quantitative approach for the investigation of the shelf life of strawberries, having a variable of shelf life and parameters of color and mold growth formation, incorporating descriptive statistics and ANOVA for data analysis. One (1) controlled (unexposed) and five (5) treatment groups (exposed) to determine the shelf life variable, with five (5) strawberries in every group stored in a refrigerator, and another set of similar groups one (1) controlled (unexposed) and five (5) treatment groups (exposed) was also used and stored at a room temperature. Results: Results show that without the use of a refrigerator, the most effective way to delay mold to 3.0 days and color change to 3.0 days is the 2.0 kJ/m², while the least effective is the 1.2 kJ/m² only shifting mold to 2.0 days and color to 2.0 days, which is barely above the 1.6 or 1.9 days of the control. As for refrigeration, the most effective in extending mold formation to 34.3 days and color stability to 26.8 days is 1.2 kJ/m², while the least effective is 1.6 kJ/m² with mold and color change at 14.7 days (even below the 20.5 or 18.8 days of the refrigerated control). Conclusion: The study revealed that the most effective UVC treatment protocol for extending the shelf life of strawberries was a UV-C dose of 1.2 kJ/m² under refrigerated storage conditions, significantly enhancing mold resistance and color stability. This research explores the impact of different UV-C energies on strawberry color and overall quality, potentially contributing to improved post-harvest handling and storage practices in the region. UV-C(ultraviolet) radiation shelf life strawberries color change mold formation irradiation fruit refrigeration room temperature preservation techniques Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files THEFIGURESANDDOCUMENTATIONS.zip Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7593377","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":515767099,"identity":"877365f6-2d82-406f-8d2a-11a6eccbbf9e","order_by":0,"name":"Glenford 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refrigeration, room temperature, preservation techniques","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7593377/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7593377/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground: \u003c/strong\u003eStrawberries are a major fruit crop in Benguet Province, Philippines, especially in the municipality of La Trinidad. However, their short shelf life and high susceptibility to spoilage present significant challenges for farmers and sellers. The cool climate in Benguet makes it an ideal environment for strawberry cultivation, which is why the fruit is widely grown in the province.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eThis study comprised an experimental method that utilized a descriptive quantitative approach for the investigation of the shelf life of strawberries, having a variable of shelf life and parameters of color and mold growth formation, incorporating descriptive statistics and ANOVA for data analysis. One (1) controlled (unexposed) and five (5) treatment groups (exposed) to determine the shelf life variable, with five (5) strawberries in every group stored in a refrigerator, and another set of similar groups one (1) controlled (unexposed) and five (5) treatment groups (exposed) was also used and stored at a room temperature.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eResults show that without the use of a refrigerator, the most effective way to delay mold to 3.0 days and color change to 3.0 days is the 2.0 kJ/m², while the least effective is the 1.2 kJ/m² only shifting mold to 2.0 days and color to 2.0 days, which is barely above the 1.6 or 1.9 days of the control. As for refrigeration, the most effective in extending mold formation to 34.3 days and color stability to 26.8 days is 1.2 kJ/m², while the least effective is 1.6 kJ/m² with mold and color change at 14.7 days (even below the 20.5 or 18.8 days of the refrigerated control).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eThe study revealed that the most effective UVC treatment protocol for extending the shelf life of strawberries was a UV-C dose of 1.2 kJ/m² under refrigerated storage conditions, significantly enhancing mold resistance and color stability. This research explores the impact of different UV-C energies on strawberry color and overall quality, potentially contributing to improved post-harvest handling and storage practices in the region.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Evaluating the Impact of UV-C Radiation on the Shelf life of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch)","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-17 06:59:12","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7593377/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"fd01baeb-be5f-452f-8ef9-6991555be5dd","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-02T12:23:57+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-17 06:59:12","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7593377","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7593377","identity":"rs-7593377","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}