Available at Sciverse ScienceDirectAbiotic stresses such as heat shock and UV-C irradiation can be used to induce synthesis of bioactive
compounds and to prevent decay in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. This study aimed to evaluate the
effects of heat shock and UV-C radiation stress treatments, applied in whole carrots, on the overall
quality of fresh-cut carrot cv. Nantes during storage (5 C). Heat shock (HS, 100 C/45 s) and UV-C
(0.78 0.36 kJ/m2) treated samples had higher phenolic content and exhibited reduced POD activities
during storage when compared to control (Ctr) samples (200 mg/L free chlorine/1 min). All samples
showed reduced carotenoid content considering raw material. Nonetheless, UV samples registered
a three-fold increase in carotenoid content in subsequent storage. Fresh-cut carrot colour showed
a continuous increase in whiteness index (WI) values during storage regardless of treatment without
impairing visual quality. Respiratory metabolism was affected by both abiotic stress treatments since
reduced O2/CO2 rates were found, more significant in HS samples. The decontamination effect was more
expressive in HS samples, where a 2.5 Log10 cfu/g reduction in initial microbial load and reduced
microbial growth were achieve
