Cold plasma treatment delays the texture softening of apricot fruit through PAPL-PL-pectin changes

Abstract

Apricot, a forest fruit with distinct characteristics, has witnessed a continuous expansion of its market scale over the years. However, the high loss rate caused by fruit texture softening poses a significant challenge to the development of the apricot industry. The effect of cold plasma treatment on the texture was investigated. The findings revealed that compared to the control group, the firmness of apricot fruit increased by 49%, 31%, and 30% after treatment for 20, 40, and 60 s, respectively. Applying an optimal cold plasma treatment (20 - 40 s) can effectively inhibit the degradation of pectin component branches, thereby delaying the increase in water-soluble pectin (WSP) and iron - soluble pectin (ISP) content, reducing the decline in covalent - soluble pectin (CSP) content, ultimately enhancing fruit firmness and extending the storage period of apricot. RNA-seq results revealed the involvement of pectin decomposition mediated by pectin lyase (PL) in the process of texture softening of apricot fruit, with a key role played by the pectin lyase gene (PaPL). These findings not only enrich the mechanism of texture softening of apricot fruit, but also provide valuable insights for utilizing cold plasma in post-harvest preservation of apricot fruit.