Study of the Antioxidant Potential of UV-Treated Vegetables

The effect of UV-A irradiation (353 nm, 365 nm, and 400 nm) on the antioxidant properties of fresh vegetables (cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchinis) was investigated. This type of processing was found to increase the total content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in vegetables. With a UV irradiation of 360 min at a wavelength of 365 nm, the greatest increase in antioxidant activity occurred in vegetable samples vs. untreated control samples. The total content of phenolic compounds increased by 34–58% and the content of flavonoids by 26–53% for various vegetable varieties. There was an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase up to 86%, peroxidase from 38%, polyphenol oxidase up to 74% depending on the variety of vegetables) after 360 min of exposure (p < 0.05). The results of the conducted studies indicate that post-harvest ultraviolet irradiation of vegetables has the potential to control the antioxidant characteristics of vegetables; however, additional research is needed to form a complete mechanism of this effect and create a technology for vegetable processing.