Transcriptome Analysis of the Preservation Effect of Three Essential Oil Microcapsules on Okra

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In the manuscript entitled “Transcriptome analysis of the preservation effect on okra by three essential oil microcapsules”, the authors analyzed the main effects of cinnamon, oregano, and oregano thyme essential oil microcapsules on the storage quality of postharvest okra. I highlighted below some points that can be taken into consideration by the authors to improve the work.

 

1. In the introduction, I suggest adding more information related to the economic and nutritional importance of okra.

2. Lines 89-100: Was the experiment conducted considering only individual groups? Were the groups not formed by triplicates?

3. Line 92: Why did the authors not include a control group with traditional chemical preservatives to evaluate and compare the effect on okra storage?

4. Line 152: Why was the experiment not conducted in triplicate for each group? Did the authors measure the indicators for each individual group three times? Does this not compromise the quality of the results obtained?

5. Figure 1: The meanings of the acronyms CEO, OEO, and OTEO must be included in the legend of figure 1.

6. “3.2 Effects of microencapsulation of different essential oils on sensory quality of Okra”: It is interesting to include photos of the different groups (control and treatments) of okra throughout the experiment. The images would make the manuscript more illustrative and didactic. If preferred, authors can add images as supplementary material.

7. Figure 2: The colors of the graphs must match the colors of the scales. The pink color of the control group is difficult to identify in the graphs.

8. “4. Conclusions”: Is the use of essential oil microcapsules for postharvest storage of okra economically viable for large-scale use? I suggest that the authors report this question as a future perspective.

Author Response

Thank you for your suggestions for revising the manuscript. We have made revisions to the manuscript and highlighted the modified parts in yellow.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Manuscript "Transcriptome analysis of the preservation effect on okra by three essential oil microcapsules " is very interesting.

General comments:
Authors analyzed effects of cinnamon essential oil microcapsules, oregano essential oil microcapsules, and oregano thyme essential oil microcapsules on the storage quality of postharvest okra.

Detailed comments:
The introduction is very well written.

The description of the material is also correct.

A little modest is the description of the statistical methods used in the course of achieving the purpose of the work.
Figure 4 is worth supplementing with critical values.
Figure 5: The "2" in logarithm should be in subscript. "10" in the decimal logarithm is not saved - "10" should be removed.

Paper needs minor revision.

Author Response

Thank you for your suggestions for revising the manuscript. We have made revisions to the manuscript and highlighted the modified parts in yellow.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is very interesting manuscript dealing with postharvest preservation of okra by utilization of essential oils. Storage of fruits and vegetables is always followed by decay in quality, and slowing this process down is of great interest. Nevertheless, the manuscript is sloppy written. Thus it has to be carefully checked and rewritten. 

1. The manuscript is full of typos and errors. 

2. Many sentences start with adverb (Similarly, Currently, Besides, However, Therefore...).

3. p2, l76-82: The sentence is way too long.

4. p2, l92-8: Rearrange this part: either shorten it or present it in a table. Too many identical phrases used.

5. p3, l99-100: It is either the 3rd day or 3 days (same for 6, 9, 12, 15).

6. p3, l102-14: Rearrange this part: either shorten it or present it in a table. 

7. p3, l115: 2.4 Sensory evaluation or sensory...

8. p5, l159: The paragraph should not begin with "Figure 1 shows..."

9. p5, l192-4: This may be because...; p6, l209-10: This may be due to the...; p6, l212-3: This may be because...; p7, l221-2: This may be because...; p7, l224: This may be due to the; p7, l235-6: This may be because...p7, l253-5: This may be because.... These sentences do not make any sense. Erase them or give some adequate explanation for obtained results.  

Comments on the Quality of English Language

So many typos and errors are present in the manuscript. Carefully check entire manuscript and correct them.  

Author Response

Thank you for your suggestions for revising the manuscript. We have made revisions to the manuscript and highlighted the modified parts in yellow.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript titled: Transcriptome Analysis of the Preservation Effect on Okra by Three Essential Oil Microcapsules."  is well-written and thoroughly researched, demonstrating an enhancement in the knowledge of preserving fruits and vegetables after harvesting in horticulture.

I have some observations to be addressed and clarified.

Please write the full Latin scientific names of all species in the abstract to avoid ambiguity, as there are several species of cinnamon " Cinnamomum sp.", Oregano "Origanum sp." and Thyme  "Thymus sp."

Please indicate the CEO means Cinnamon essential oil at least once the same thing applies to OEO for oregano.

Please indicate the used part ok Okra "fruits"

Please Reinforce the linkage between the experimental results and the research questions or objectives stated in the introduction. Clarify how the findings address the initial research goals and contribute to the existing knowledge in the field.

Reproducibility of Microencapsulation Process: While the microencapsulation process is detailed, information on the reproducibility of this process, including variability between batches, should be highlighted.

Limited Discussion on RNA-Seq Validation: The discussion lacks details on the validation methods employed for the RNA-Seq data, such as quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validation of selected DEGs. Providing validation results would strengthen the reliability of the RNA-Seq findings.

 

 

Author Response

Thank you for your suggestions for revising the manuscript. We have made revisions to the manuscript and highlighted the modified parts in yellow.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have answered my points mentioned completely. The manuscript is much stronger and acceptable.