Abstract
BackgroundPericarp browning is a critical problem resulting in reduced commercial value and shelf life of longan fruit.ResultsTwo non-protein amino acids, α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIB) at 100 and 1 mM were applied to longan fruit prior to storage for up to 8 days at 25 °C respectively. Contents of the major five phenolics (gallic acid, catechin, corilagin, epicatechin and gallocatechin gallate) were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Physiological properties related to pericarp browning of longan fruit were investigated during storage. Respiration rate, membrane permeability, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) were down-regulated by AIB or BAIB treatments, with significantly lower pericarp browning index and higher proportion of edible fruit than the control. Moreover, exogenous application of AIB and BAIB maintained higher contents of catechin, corilagin, epicatechin and gallocatechin gallate, but lower content of gallic acid compared to the control in the pericarp of longan fruit during storage, which was associated with the oxidation of browning substrate.ConclusionsPericarp browning was inhibited and storage life of longan fruit was extended effectively by AIB and BAIB treatments with AIB treatment being more significant than BAIB. The findings may provide a new strategy for controlling pericarp browning of harvested longan fruit.
Highlights
Pericarp browning is a critical problem resulting in reduced commercial value and shelf life of longan fruit
It was suggested that application of ΑΙΒ and BAIB effectively delayed pericarp browning, inhibited deterioration, and maintained the commercial value of longan fruit after harvest
The effect of exogenous AIB treatment on delaying pericarp browning of longan fruit might be related to its roles on ethylene metabolism in the present study, there was no significant difference in ethylene level between the treatments and the control
Summary
Pericarp browning is a critical problem resulting in reduced commercial value and shelf life of longan fruit. Longan fruit pericarp contains large amounts of phenolics, thereby exhibiting strong antioxidant activities [2]. AIB has been reported to delay carnation wilting and extend the vase life of cut flowers [5, 6]. Aminobutyric acid derivative, such as β-aminobutyric acid (BABA), an inducer of disease resistance in plants possesses a large spectrum of activity in inducing resistance against disease in peas, potato, tomato, tobacco, apple, grapevine, cucumber, and other plants [7, 8].
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