Postharvest Quality of Rambutan Fruit (Nephelium lappaceum L.) under White and Green LED Treatments during Storage

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) is an economically important tropical fruit in Indonesia, primarily marketed fresh but highly perishable after harvest. However, scientific evidence on the effects of specific light-emitting diode (LED) spectra on rambutan postharvest quality remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of white LED, green LED, and a control treatment without LED exposure on postharvest quality of rambutan stored for 8 days at 25 ± 2 °C and 85% RH. Postharvest quality was assessed based on weight loss, peel color (L*, a*, b*), CO₂ respiration rate, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and vitamin C content. Compared to green LED and control treatments, white LED treatment significantly suppressed respiration rate (37.04 mL CO₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 4 DAT) and better preserved peel color (L* = 38.40, a* = 23.66, b* = 34.29 at 4 DAT), TA (0.47%), and vitamin C content (2.475 mg 100 g⁻¹ at 4 DAT) throughout the storage period, indicating a delay in postharvest senescence under white LED treatment, whereas TSS (18 °Brix) did not differ significantly among treatments. These findings indicate that white LED treatment is an effective and environmentally sound postharvest strategy for extending the shelf life of rambutan, with potential for application in commercial storage and retail distribution systems to minimize postharvest losses of tropical fruits.