EFFECT OF CHITOSAN-BASED SPRAYING ON THE QUALITY OF HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES (SUNRISE CULTIVAR)

The consumption of highbush blueberries has been growing rapidly in recent years due to their taste and health-promoting qualities. Various solutions have been sought to obtain the highest quality fruit after harvest. In the era of eco-friendly products, it is important that the methods used are natural and ecological. For this purpose, chitosan (CH) was sprayed five times on highbush blueberry bushes before harvesting. Different molecular weights of CH (5, 12, 21, 50, 125, and 500 kDa) were used in this study. The physical and biochemical characteristics of the fruit were investigated. The antioxidant activity, microbial contaminants, and mycotoxins in fruit were also analysed. Application of CH affected the quality of highbush blueberries after harvest. The molecular weight of CH had a significant effect on the studied traits. The application of high-molecular-weight CH improved physical characteristics such as the average weight of 100 blueberries, firmness, and puncture. Furthermore, the blueberries had a more intense blue colour; were characterised by a higher content of l-ascorbic acid and polyphenols, especially anthocyanins; and did not contain mycotoxins. Spraying with CH can be recommended in the organic cultivation of highbush blueberries to obtain robust fruit with health-promoting qualities.