Abstract
The major aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ozonation process on the level of oxidative stress markers in blueberry fruit during cold storage (4 °C). Blueberry (Vaccinum corymbosum L.) fruit was ozonated with an ozone concentration of 15 ppm for 30 min, every 12 h for 28 days of storage at 4 °C. The results indicated that ozone treatment activated a defense mechanism against oxidative stress in blueberry fruit. Ozonated fruit was characterized by higher activity of antioxidant enzymes i.e. superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase than non-ozonated fruit, over the first 21 days of storage. In turn, the level of superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide in ozonated fruit was significantly lower compared with the untreated material. However, after 21 days of storage, ozone treatment contributed to the oxidative modification of protein which could be a reason of decreasing enzymes activity, involved in cell protection against oxidative stress.
Highlights
Ozone is an agent with strong oxidative properties
superoxide dismutase (SOD) catalyzes the scavenging of the superoxide anion radical leading to formation of hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen, while glutathione peroxidase accelerated the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water in the presence of reduced glutathione (Cai and Yan 2013)
The presented study demonstrated the relationships between the level of reactive oxygen species and natural defense mechanism against oxidative stress in blueberry fruit after storage in ozone-enriched atmosphere
Summary
Ozone is an agent with strong oxidative properties. Many studies have suggested that ozone can be effectively applied in extending a commercial value of berry fruit including the assurance of microbiological safety as well as a high nutrition and processing value of stored product (Alexandre et al 2011; Contigiani et al 2018; Jaramillo-Sánchez et al 2019; Carbone and Mencarelli 2015). ROS as a very reactive individual cause the oxidation of biomolecues, which are important for the proper functioning of the cells, i.e., proteins, lipids, and DNA. Oxidative modifications of proteins lead to the loss of their biological properties, while increased peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in lipids membrane causes a damage of its structure, and decrease in cell turgor and death of the cell (Cai and Yan 2013; Moller et al 2007). The high level of ROS in plant cells is closely correlated with the activity of polyphenol oxidase, which is responsible for enzymatic browning and the loss of polyphenol compounds in fruit during storage (Sachadyn-Król et al 2016). In context of fruit processing and storage, it leads to inferior sensory attributes, nutritional value, and firmness as well as an increased sensitivity of the fruit to mechanical damage and microbial contamination (Giongo et al 2013; Jin et al 2017). In view of the above, in order to fully explain
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