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Review

Advancing Fruit Preservation: Ecofriendly Treatments for Controlling Fruit Softening

by
Sisanda Sibusiso Mthembu
1,
Lembe Samukelo Magwaza
1,2,3,
Samson Zeray Tesfay
1 and
Asanda Mditshwa
1,*
1
Discipline of Horticultural Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
2
Plant Science Laboratory, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 AL, UK
3
Department of Food Systems and Development, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2024, 10(9), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090904
Submission received: 30 July 2024 / Revised: 21 August 2024 / Accepted: 23 August 2024 / Published: 26 August 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Molecular Mechanism of Fruit Softening)

Abstract

Textural softening is a major factor that limits the storage potential of fruit. Fresh produce markets incur severe financial losses due to excessive fruit softening. The application of preservation strategies aimed at mitigating fruit softening is crucial for optimising the marketability of fruit. Proposed preservation strategies include ecofriendly treatments, namely, hexanal, edible coatings, heat treatments, ozone and UV-C irradiation. These treatments optimise firmness retention by targeting the factors that affect fruit softening, such as ethylene, respiration rates, enzymes and pathogens. This review discusses the mechanisms by which ecofriendly treatments inhibit fruit softening, providing insights into their effect on ethylene biosynthesis, cell wall metabolism and disease resistance. Although ecofriendly treatments offer a promising and sustainable approach for delaying fruit softening, the optimisation of treatment application protocols is needed to improve their efficacy in retaining fruit firmness. Studies reporting on the molecular mechanisms by which ecofriendly treatments inhibit fruit softening are limited. Future studies should prioritise proteomic and transcriptome analyses to advance our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms by which ecofriendly treatments delay the fruit-softening process.
Keywords: ethylene biosynthesis; cell wall metabolism; gene expression; firmness; lignin synthesis ethylene biosynthesis; cell wall metabolism; gene expression; firmness; lignin synthesis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mthembu, S.S.; Magwaza, L.S.; Tesfay, S.Z.; Mditshwa, A. Advancing Fruit Preservation: Ecofriendly Treatments for Controlling Fruit Softening. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 904. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090904

AMA Style

Mthembu SS, Magwaza LS, Tesfay SZ, Mditshwa A. Advancing Fruit Preservation: Ecofriendly Treatments for Controlling Fruit Softening. Horticulturae. 2024; 10(9):904. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090904

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mthembu, Sisanda Sibusiso, Lembe Samukelo Magwaza, Samson Zeray Tesfay, and Asanda Mditshwa. 2024. "Advancing Fruit Preservation: Ecofriendly Treatments for Controlling Fruit Softening" Horticulturae 10, no. 9: 904. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090904

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