Effect of ozone fumigation on the postharvest quality of pineapple

"Postharvest decay and senescence are major limitations to the storage and export of pineapple (Ananas comosus), resulting in significant quality loss and economic impact. This study evaluated the effectiveness of ozone fumigation at different exposure durations in suppressing decay and delaying senescence in pineapples. Fruits were fumigated with ozone gas at 325-350 ppm at the flow rate of 6 mL/min for 0 (control), 20, 40, and 60 min and stored at 13°C and 95 % RH for 25 days. Quality assessments, including disease incidence and severity, weight loss, peel color, and internal browning score, were recorded. The results showed that ozone fumigation markedly reduced color change, internal browning, and decay compared with the control. After 20 days of storage, fruits fumigated for 60 min exhibited a 60 % reduction in disease severity relative to the control, while both the 40 and 60 min treatments maintained lower b* values, indicating delayed yellowing or ripening. However, ozone fumigation has no significant effect on weight loss across treatments. These findings demonstrate that ozone fumigation with an exposure time of 40-60 min is an effective treatment to extend storage life and preserve the visual quality of pineapple fruit. "