# Effect of Postharvest UVB Irradiation on the Fruit of cv. Dottato (_Ficus carica_ L.)
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Morpho-Anatomy and Fruit Quality Parameters
The average value of SSC at T0 was about 20% \({}^{\circ}\)Brix; (Figure 3A). At T1, a higher value in SSC was observed in \(-\)UVB10 (22.6%), while \(+\)UVB60 recorded the lowest value (21.3%). At T2 the trend became more pronounced, the \(-\)UVB figs recorded a greater accumulation of SSC (about 23%) than the UVB treated fruits (Figure 3A). In flesh, no statistically significant difference was observed in SSC values at T0. Whereas at T1 and T2, the maximum value was recorded in \(-\)UVB10 and the minimum in \(+\)UVB60 (Figure 3B). The pH measured in the skin and flesh showed a slight increase in values from the T0 to T2 periods (Figure 3C,D). In particular, the skin at T1 and T2 in \(+\)UVB10 and \(+\)UVB60 registered a pH slightly lower than the control: in \(+\)UVB10 it was lower than in \(-\)UVB10 by 0.07 at T1 and 0.21 at T2, while in \(+\)UVB60 it was 0.13 and 0.15 lower than in \(-\)UVB60 at T1 and T2, respectively (Figure 3C). In the flesh at T0 and T1, no statistically significant difference were recorded among the samples. However, at T1 there was a slight increase in pH in all samples, with higher values in the \(-\)UVB fruit (6.67 in \(-\)UVB10 and 6.72 in \(-\)UVB60) compared to the +UVB10 (6.61) and +UVB60 (6.63). The same trend was observed at T2, where \(-\)UVB10 showed the higher pH with 7.02 and \(-\)UVB60 6.91, while +UVB10 and +UVB60 registered a pH of 6.81 and 6.82, respectively (Figure 3D). Generally, pH increased in all skin and flesh samples during the storage period, but in UVB treated samples, the process was slower. In addition, the process was attenuated in the flesh, probably due to poor UV penetration through the pericarp layers, as reported by [PERSON] [53]. The titratable acidity (TA), measured in percentage, decreased during the storage period in both UVB treated and control fruits, the phenomenon was more evident in the latter, where acidity decreased more markedly (Figure 4). Figure 4: The percentage of titratable acidity (TA), in control (\(-\)UVB) and treated (+UVB) fig fruit at different times (T0, T1, T2). Figure 3: +UVB10 and +UVB60 treatment for solid soluble content in skin (**A**) and flesh (**B**); pH in skin (**C**) and pH flesh (**D**) on fig fruits cv. Dottato and relative controls (\(-\)UVB10 and \(-\)UVB60). T0 (immediately after the treatment), T1 (after 7 days) and T2 (after 10 days) of storage. Data are means (n = 3) \(\pm\) SD. Different letters above each column indicate significant differences among the treatments (Tukey’s test \(p\) < 0.05), ns = not significant. Physicochemical parameters (SSC, pH, and TA) are the primary determinants related to sensory peculiarities (flavor sensory profiles, color, and taste) and the ripening and maturity of fig fruit [54]. During ripening and post-harvest storage, fig is subjected to various biochemical and physiological changes in physicochemical parameters that result in rapid deterioration and a reduced shelf-life. In particular, there is an increase in the content of soluble solids, as a consequence of the degradation of starch and pectin substances, and a decrease in TA due to the reduced metabolism during ripening and respiration. In this study, the quality parameters confirmed the observed trend during the ripening and storage of fig fruits. However, a less pronounced increase was observed in UVB treated fruits. Our results are in accordance with those in Abdipou, Hu, 2020. The color parameters measured on fig fruit flesh are summarized in Figures S1-S3. At postharvest time, lightness and chroma decreased gradually following a natural trend, as observed in the skin, while hue angle increased slightly showing, however, statistically insignificant differences. Regarding lightness, at T1 +UVB60 recorded the highest value (69.59), while at T2 both treatments showed the highest values compared to the controls. Chroma showed no differences in the values of the samples at T1, while after 10 days of storage, the treated samples recorded slightly higher values than the control.