Abstract: In order to investigate the effect of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation combined with chitosan (CH) coating on the storage quality of Hami melon, changes in the physiological quality and antioxidant enzyme activities of ‘Xizhoumi 17’ Hami melon from Xinjiang were determined during storage at (5 ± 1) ℃ after the combined treatment. The results indicated that both single and combined treatments effectively delayed the changes in the storage quality of Hami melon, with the combined treatment being most effective. On the 49th day of storage, the fruit firmness of the combined group was 1.13 times higher, and the contents of soluble solids and titratable acids were 1.14 and 1.35 times higher than those of the control group, respectively; the contents of ascorbic acid and total phenols increased by 23.40% and 32.51%, respectively, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD) by 12.70%, 73.53%, 26.43% and 28.14%, respectively. In conclusion, UV-C combined with CH coating can effectively maintain the postharvest storage quality of Hami melon. This study can provide a reference for the postharvest preservation of Hami melon.

Key words: Hami melon; ultraviolet irradiation; chitosan coating; preservation; storage quality