Short-Term Gaseous Ozone Exposure Influences Cucumber Quality During Postharvest Storage

Cucumber consumption has grown in the last decades, but its storage is challenging with alternative preservation means to require attention, including ozone. The present study examined the short-term application of gaseous ozone in cucumber fruit during storage. Fruits were exposed to ozone-enriched atmosphere (0, 0.2, and 1.5 ppm) for 2 or 6 h at 13 °C and 95% relative humidity, and then fruits were stored in clean air up to 7 days. The results showed that by maintaining low respiration rates, lower ozone concentrations (i.e., 0.2 ppm) and duration (2 h) were advantageous in sustaining cucumber quality-related traits. Furthermore, greener fruits, metabolic changes, and higher ascorbic acid content were the results of 0.2 ppm ozone exposure for 2 h or 6 h, but total phenols and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were reduced. In contrast, higher ozone levels of 1.5 ppm for 6 h triggered fruit respiration rates, phenols, total soluble solids, and antioxidants alongside the raised ascorbic acid and MDA, resulting in less marketable products. Ozone treatments did not affect fruit aroma, appearance, and decay. Applying ozone for a short period of time may accelerate fruit metabolism and antioxidant responses to address the problem of oxidative stress.