Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of 10% carbon dioxide (CO2) on the fruit quality and sugar metabolism of fresh-cut pear during storage. The results indicated that carbon dioxide treatment maintained fruit quality by delaying the decline of firmness and promoting the accumulation of total soluble solids (TSS). Moreover, carbon dioxide enhanced activities of sucrose synthase (SS), and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS). The activities of amylase, acid invertase (AI), neutral invertase (NI), SS-cleavage, fructokinase (FK), hexokinase (HK), sorbitol oxidase (SOX), NAD-dependent sorbitol dehydrogenase (NAD-SDH), and NADP-SDH in CO2-treated fruit were inhibited. Expression levels of key genes were found to correspond with the related enzyme activities. As a result, the accumulation of glucose, fructose, sorbitol, and sucrose were accelerated by CO2, which were 12.58%, 13.86%, 24.7%, and 13.9% higher than those of the control at the end of storage, respectively. The results showed that CO2 could maintain the quality of fresh-cut pears by regulating the conversion of various sugar components to enhance soluble sugars content.
Highlights
Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables are largely consumed as daily food to meet the nutritional requirements
Our results showed that higher enzyme activity in sucrose synthesis and lower enzyme activity in sucrose degradation contribute to maintaining the quality of fresh-cut pear fruits
Our results showed that CO2 treatment induced the accumulation of sorbitol in fresh-cut pear fruits, which may result through the induction of activities and gene expression of NAD+ -SDH, NADP+ -SDH, which in turn promote the conversion of fructose and glucose to sorbitol
Summary
Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables are largely consumed as daily food to meet the nutritional requirements. The consumption of fresh-cut pears is growing rapidly. The cutting procedure could lead to increased respiratory, ethylene, quality loss, and subsequent changes in the carbohydrate content of fresh-cut pear fruit. Carbohydrates provide energy for the overall development of fruits, but they are essential determinants of fruit quality [1]. Sugars are synthesized from photosynthesis of leaves and accumulate in fruits through a series of physiological steps [3]. The accumulation of soluble sugars during fruit development has a significant impact on the sweetness of fruits [4]. The sugar catabolism of postharvest fruits leads to changes in the composition and content of soluble sugars, which affect fruit flavor, a critical criterion for product
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