Abstract
Chinese chive usually becomes decayed after a short storage time, which was closely observed with the redox imbalance. To cope with this practical problem, in this report, molecular hydrogen (H2) was used to evaluate its influence in maintaining storage quality of Chinese chive, and the changes in antioxidant capacity were also analyzed. Chives were treated with 1%, 2%, or 3% H2, and with air as the control, and then were stored at 4 ± 1 °C. We observed that, compared with other treatment groups, the application of 3% H2 could significantly prolong the shelf life of Chinese chive, which was also confirmed by the obvious mitigation of decreased decay index, the loss ratio of weight, and the reduction in soluble protein content. Meanwhile, the decreasing tendency in total phenolic, flavonoid, and vitamin C contents was obviously impaired or slowed down by H2. Results of antioxidant capacity revealed that the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was differentially alleviated, which positively matched with 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and the improved activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Above results clearly suggest that postharvest molecular hydrogen application might be a potential useful approach to improve the storage quality of Chinese chive, which is partially achieved through the alleviation of oxidative damage happening during the storage periods. These findings also provide potential theoretical and practical significance for transportation and consumption of perishable vegetables.
Highlights
Molecular hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a potential therapeutic medical gas in medical treatment and clinical therapy because of its selectively antioxidant capability [1]
For protein levels (Figure 1D), it was observed that compared to the control group and 1% H2 treatment, the degradation of protein in chive leaves was differentially abolished by 2% and 3% H2, the latter of which could be detected until 8 days of storage
We showed that postharvest molecular hydrogen application can maintain the storage quality of Chinese chive through improving antioxidant capacity
Summary
Molecular hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a potential therapeutic medical gas in medical treatment and clinical therapy because of its selectively antioxidant capability [1]. The stimulation of antioxidant defense and the involvement of some other gaseous molecules, including nitric oxide [10] and hydrogen sulfide [22], as well as phytohormones [12] by exogenous H2 are proposed as the main mechanism in plants. Since Chinese chive is perishable and rapidly loses freshness during transportation and storage after harvesting, this vegetable is kept at ambient temperatures or usually stored at 4 ◦C [25]. Several approaches were proposed, including the application of the cytokinin compound [29] and storage under CO2-enriched atmospheric conditions [30], seeking more environmentally friendly and efficient methods is challenging for scientists and customers
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