Effect of post-harvest UV-B irradiation on polyphenol profile and antioxidant activity in flesh and peel of tomato fruits

In the present study, the possibility of enhancing phenolic and flavonoid concentration in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits by post-harvest irradiation with UV-B light was assessed. Fruits of the commercial cv Money Maker (MM) and the mutant genotype high pigment-1 (hp-1), constitutively rich in these compounds, were harvested at mature green and turning stages and left to ripen within climatic chambers where they were daily treated with UV-B radiation (1 h, 6.08 kJ/m2 day). In control chambers, UV-B radiation was screened by benzophenone-treated polyethylene film. The treatment was generally effective in increasing phenolic, flavonoid and flavonol concentration in both peel and flesh of MM and hp-1 fruits, although in this latter the positive response to UV-B treatment was mainly evident in fruits harvested at mature green stage. Following UV-B treatment, antioxidant activity increased in the peel of both genotypes independently from the harvesting stage and in the flesh of hp-1 fruits harvested at mature green stage. Hydroxycinnamic acids of both genotypes reacted to UV-B treatment differently depending on harvesting stage and tissue localisation, generally showing an increase in the peel of fruits harvested at mature green stage. With few exceptions, UV-B irradiation also induced a higher accumulation of individual flavonoids both in the peel and in the flesh of MM and hp-1 fruits independently from harvesting stage. Based on these results, UV-B irradiation can be considered a promising technique to increase the nutraceutical potential of tomato fruits by non-molecular tools.