The Mechanism of Quality Deterioration of Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10632

Special Issue Editors

College of Food, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Interests: postharvest biology and preservation of fruit and vegetable; fruit and vegetable ripening and senescence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Postharvest fleshy fruits and vegetables are still living organisms, remain metabolically active, and undergo complex biological processes, which are prone to ripening and senescence, resulting in quality deterioration and commodity value loss. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the regulation mechanisms underlying ripening and senescence, followed by quality deterioration, would help to maintain postharvest commercial quality and to improve management to minimize postharvest loss. Additionally, improved postharvest technologies, including chemical treatment, physical methods, and biotechnology have been widely used to inhibit the quality deterioration and extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetable. Thus, we encourage the submission of manuscripts associating with the regulation mechanism and the innovative preservation technology of fresh postharvest fruit and vegetable.

Dr. Zhongqi Fan
Dr. Qian Zhou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • fruit and vegetable
  • quality deterioration
  • regulation mechanism
  • postharvest technology
  • postharvest biology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4879 KiB  
Article
Effect of Calcium Foliar Spray Technique on Mechanical Properties of Strawberries
by Beata Cieniawska, Piotr Komarnicki, Maciej Samelski and Marek Barć
Plants 2023, 12(13), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132390 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1903
Abstract
The calcium fertilization of strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) was evaluated using two types of nozzles, with two liquid pressure levels and two driving speeds. The calcium content of the leaves and fruit were analyzed via flame photometry. Higher leaf [...] Read more.
The calcium fertilization of strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) was evaluated using two types of nozzles, with two liquid pressure levels and two driving speeds. The calcium content of the leaves and fruit were analyzed via flame photometry. Higher leaf calcium content was found in plots sprayed with standard nozzles, while higher fruit calcium content was observed for those sprayed with air induction nozzles. The fruit quality was assessed by determining the basic physical and mechanical properties, using uniaxial compression tests integrated with surface pressure measurements. Different spraying techniques influenced the mechanical resistance of the fruit. A spraying speed of 5 km/h and an operating pressure of 0.4 MPa significantly increased the firmness of the fruit by ~66%, the critical load level by 36%, and the maximum surface pressure by up to 38%, but did not increase the geometrical parameters of the strawberries. Regular foliar feeding during harvest could improve the mechanical strength of strawberries. An appropriate spraying technique with a calcium agent could effectively improve the mechanical properties of the delicate fruit, which is particularly important for limiting losses during harvesting, transportation, and storage. Full article
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13 pages, 3040 KiB  
Article
Calcium Involved in the Enrichment of γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in Broccoli Sprouts under Fructose Treatment
by Qinling Wei, Keqin Xie, Hongfei Wang, Xingfeng Shao, Yingying Wei, Yi Chen, Shu Jiang, Mengze Cao, Jisuan Chen and Feng Xu
Plants 2023, 12(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020224 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
The effect of fructose on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and its metabolic pathway in broccoli sprouts was investigated. The results demonstrated that the fructose treatment not only significantly increased the fresh weight, GABA, and glutamate contents in sprouts, but also promoted the activity [...] Read more.
The effect of fructose on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and its metabolic pathway in broccoli sprouts was investigated. The results demonstrated that the fructose treatment not only significantly increased the fresh weight, GABA, and glutamate contents in sprouts, but also promoted the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and the expressions of BoGAD1 and BoGAD2. Meanwhile, fructose treatment inhibited the stem length of broccoli sprouts and enhanced the abscisic acid (ABA) production in comparison with the control. Ca2+, CaM contents, and BoCaM2 expression in broccoli sprouts were also stimulated after fructose treatment. Exogenous fructose increased inositol trisphosphate (IP3) content and activated the activity of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and the expression of BoPLC2, contributing to Ca2+ influx into the cells. These results suggested that Ca2+ played an essential role in GABA enrichment under fructose treatment, which may be associated with GAD and PI-PLC. Full article
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19 pages, 3309 KiB  
Article
A Comprehensive Analysis of Physiologic and Hormone Basis for the Difference in Room-Temperature Storability between ‘Shixia’ and ‘Luosanmu’ Longan Fruits
by Libing Long, Tingting Lai, Dongmei Han, Xiaolan Lin, Jianhang Xu, Difa Zhu, Xiaomeng Guo, Yuqiong Lin, Fengyi Pan, Yihang Wang, Ziying Lai, Xinxin Du, Di Fang, Liang Shuai, Zhenxian Wu and Tao Luo
Plants 2022, 11(19), 2503; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192503 - 25 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
Although the effects of phytohormones (mainly salicylic acid) on the storability of longan fruit have been reported, the relationship between postharvest hormone variation and signal transduction and storability remains unexplored. The basis of physiology, biochemistry, hormone content and signalling for the storability difference [...] Read more.
Although the effects of phytohormones (mainly salicylic acid) on the storability of longan fruit have been reported, the relationship between postharvest hormone variation and signal transduction and storability remains unexplored. The basis of physiology, biochemistry, hormone content and signalling for the storability difference at room-temperature between ‘Shixia’ and ‘Luosanmu’ longan fruit were examined. ‘Luosanmu’ longan exhibited faster pericarp browning, aril breakdown and rotting during storage. ‘Luosanmu’ pericarp exhibited higher malondialdehyde but faster decreased total phenolics, flavonoid, glutathione, vitamin C, catalase activity and gene expression. Higher H2O2 and malondialdehyde but lower glutathione, glutathione-reductase and peroxidase activities, while higher activities and gene expressions of polygalacturonase, β-galactosidase and cellulose, lower covalent-soluble pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose but higher water-soluble pectin were observed in ‘Luosanmu’ aril. Lower abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate but higher expressions of LOX2, JAZ and NPR1 in pericarp, while higher abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid together with higher expressions of ABF, JAZ, NPR1 and PR-1 in ‘Luosanmu’ aril were observed. In conclusion, the imbalance between the accumulation and scavenging of active oxygen in ‘Luosanmu’ longan might induce faster lipid peroxidation and senescence-related hormone signalling and further the polymerization of phenolics in pericarp and polysaccharide degradation in aril. Full article
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14 pages, 3576 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Application of Melatonin to Green Horn Pepper Fruit Reduces Chilling Injury during Postharvest Cold Storage by Regulating Enzymatic Activities in the Antioxidant System
by Luyao Wang, Xuemeng Shen, Xiumei Chen, Qiuli Ouyang, Xiaoli Tan and Nengguo Tao
Plants 2022, 11(18), 2367; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11182367 - 11 Sep 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2031
Abstract
Chilling injury (CI) caused by exposure to low temperatures is a serious problem in the postharvest cold storage of pepper fruit. Melatonin (MT) has been reported to minimize CI in several plants. To evaluate the effectiveness of MT to minimize CI in green [...] Read more.
Chilling injury (CI) caused by exposure to low temperatures is a serious problem in the postharvest cold storage of pepper fruit. Melatonin (MT) has been reported to minimize CI in several plants. To evaluate the effectiveness of MT to minimize CI in green horn pepper and the possible mechanism involved, freshly picked green horn peppers were treated with MT solution at 100 μmol L−1 or water and then stored at 4 °C for 25 d. Results showed that MT treatment reduced CI in green horn pepper fruit, as evidenced by lower CI rate and CI index. MT treatment maintained lower postharvest metabolism rate and higher fruit quality of green horn peppers, as shown by reduced weight loss and respiratory rate, maintened fruit firmness and higher contents of chlorophyll, total phenols, flavonoids, total soluble solids and ATP. Additionally, the contents of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide radical, and malondialdehyde were kept low in the MT-treated fruit, and the activities of the enzymes peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase were significantly elevated. Similarly, the ascorbate–glutathione cycle was enhanced by elevating the activities of ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and monodehydroascorbate reductase, to increase the regeneration of ascorbic acid and glutathione. Our results show that MT treatment protected green horn pepper fruit from CI and maintained high fruit quality during cold storage by triggering the antioxidant system Full article
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24 pages, 6252 KiB  
Article
Physiological and Transcriptome Analyses of CaCl2 Treatment to Alleviate Chilling Injury in Pineapple
by Mengzhuo Zhang, Qiang Zhang, Cong Tian, Guangsen Liu, Yonggui Pan, Xiangbin Xu, Xuequn Shi, Zhengke Zhang and Lanhuan Meng
Plants 2022, 11(17), 2215; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172215 - 26 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2377
Abstract
The post-harvest ripening of pineapples can be effectively postponed by refrigerated storage. Nevertheless, internal browning (IB) frequently appears in pineapples after refrigerated storage during the course of the shelf life at room temperature, which is known as chilling injury (CI). In this study, [...] Read more.
The post-harvest ripening of pineapples can be effectively postponed by refrigerated storage. Nevertheless, internal browning (IB) frequently appears in pineapples after refrigerated storage during the course of the shelf life at room temperature, which is known as chilling injury (CI). In this study, the chilling injury of pineapple fruit was induced by a low temperature (6 °C) and transferred to normal-temperature storage; the best concentration of 50 μmol/L of CaCl2 was selected by the IB appearance and electrical conductivity. Fruit quality, reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidants, and transcription factors were investigated. The physiological data results indicated that pineapples treated with 50 μmol/L of CaCl2 maintained fruit quality, decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS), and enhanced the antioxidant activity of fruits, alleviating internal browning (IB) symptoms in pineapple fruit. The expressions of related genes were also consistent with the physiological changes by the transcriptome data analysis. In addition, we focused on some related metabolic pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, MAPK pathway, plant hormone, plant–pathogen interaction, tricarboxylic acid cycle (TAC), and fatty acid biosynthesis. We performed integrative analyses of transcriptome data combined with a series of physiology and experimental analyses on the internal browning of pineapples, which will be of great significance to extending the shelf life of pineapples through molecular biology in the future. Full article
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