*4.1. Sample Collection and Preparation*

Green bell peppers (*C. annuum* L. cv. Jingtian) were harvested from a green house in the "Xiaotangshan" and quickly transported to the lab. The control fruits were stored at 10 ◦C, whereas the chilled fruits were stored at 1 ◦C for 72 h. Bell pepper fruit pericarp samples were collected, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80 ◦C for the subsequent experiments.
