Efficiency of Ozonated Water Treatment with a Microbubble System for Sanitization and Preservation of Postharvest Quality of Acerolas

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ozonated water in the sanitation and postharvest quality of acerola fruits. The experiment comprised seven treatments: a control group with untreated fruits, three different durations of exposure to ozone microbubbles (20, 40, and 60 min), and three different durations of exposure to ozone-free microbubbles (20, 40, and 60 min). Acerola fruits were stored in a refrigerated environment below 5 °C at 87% relative humidity. Microbiological and quality analyses were performed immediately after ozonation on day 0 and then on storage days 3, 6, and 9. The quality parameters assessed included the fresh mass loss percentage, firmness, soluble solid content, pH, total titratable acidity, vitamin C, color, total phenolic compounds, and total antioxidant activity. The use of ozonated water was found to effectively maintain the firmness of the acerolas, regardless of the exposure duration. Changes were observed on the surface of fruits treated with ozone microbubbles, especially when 60 min of exposure was adopted. Treating acerolas with ozone microbubbles for 20 min proved to be the best condition for inactivating bacteria and fungi and preserving the vitamin C, pH, total titratable acidity, total phenolic compounds, and total antioxidant activity of the fruits throughout storage. In conclusion, ozonated water is a promising technology for sanitizing and preserving the postharvest quality of acerola.