*2.1. Plant Materials*

Cherry (*P. avium* L.) fruits of cv. 'Regina' were harvested from trees grafted on 'Gisela 6 rootstock and grown in a commercial orchard located at Tegea, Arkadia County, Greece (37◦26 20 N, 22◦24 47 E). The fruit were harvested (16 July 2019) soon after the commercial maturity stage and transported to the laboratory within 2.5 h. Upon arrival at the laboratory, the fruits were sorted and only healthy fruits of uniform maturity, macroscopically free of disorders and diseases, were selected for the experiment. Cactus pear (*Opuntia ficus-indica*) cladodes were collected from vegetatively propagated/cladode rooting trees of a red/dark pink fruit variety grown in a commercial orchard located in Gerakas, Attica County, Greece (38◦00 34 N, 23◦52 28 E). One- and two-year old cladodes were collected on 1 July 2019, transported to the laboratory within 2 h and stored (4 ◦C, 85% RH) until processing (7–11 July 2019).
