Effects of Exogenous Methyl Jasmonate Treatment with Polyethylene Bag Storage on Decay Reduction and Enhanced Total Ascorbic Acid, Total Phenolic, and Antioxidant Activities in ‘Kamphaeng Saen 42’ Mulberry Fruit

Abstract

Mulberry fruit has a short shelf life of only 1 - 2 days under room conditions, make it one of the most fragile and extremely perishable fruits. This study investigated the effects of exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) combined with polyethylene bag (PE) on postharvest decay, total ascorbic acid, total phenolic, anthocyanin, and antioxidant activities in 'Kamphaeng Saen 42’ mulberry fruits. The study was conducted at Postharvest Quality and Storage System Laboratory, Division of AgriScience and Technology (Postharvest Technology), Faculty of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in December 2019. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 4 replicates and 2 treatments consisting of 1) untreated with MeJA (control) and 2) fruits treated with 10 mmol L-1 methyl jasmonate (MeJA) combination with polyethylene bag (PE) and maintained at 10 ± 2 °C, 90 ± 2 % relative humidity (RH). The results showed that treating the mulberry fruits with 10 mmol L-1 MeJA before placing them in the PE bag was the most effective method to reduce fruit decay and also resulted in higher levels of total ascorbic acid, total phenols, and antioxidant activities than in the control at the end of storage (55.14 mg/100 g FW, 43.78 mg GAE /g FW and 28.91 mM TE /100 g FW), respectively. However, the treated fruits showed lower anthocyanin content than the control during the first 8 days of storage. These results suggest that the combination of MeJA with PE bag is beneficial in reducing fruit decay and increasing total ascorbic acid, total phenols, and antioxidant activities in 'Kamphaeng Saen 42’ mulberry fruits during storage at 10 ± 2 °C, 90 ± 2 % RH for 10 days.
 HIGHLIGHTS
 
 Mulberry fruit is one of the most fragile and extremely perishable fruits resulting in its has short shelf life
 Exogenous MeJA combined with PE bag were applied to decay reduction and enhanced total ascorbic acid, total phenolic, and antioxidant activities in ‘Kamphaeng Saen 42’ mulberry fruit
 Mulberry fruits treated with 10 µmolL-1 MeJA combined with PE bag were the most effective in reducing fruit decay and increasing total ascorbic acid, total phenols, and antioxidant activities in 'Kamphaeng Saen 42’ mulberry fruits
 
 GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT