Fruit Injury Research Articles

Melatonin alleviated chilling injury of cold-stored passion fruit by modulating cell membrane structure via acting on antioxidant ability and membrane lipid metabolism

Melatonin alleviated chilling injury of cold-stored passion fruit by modulating cell membrane structure via acting on antioxidant ability and membrane lipid metabolism

Revealing the crucial role of cuticular wax components in postharvest chilling injury of plums (Prunus Salicina Lindl.)

The occurrence of chilling injury is closely related to changes in wax. In this study, we investigated the relationship in plum fruit between wax presence (CK) and removal of epicuticular wax (REW) based on micromorphology and metabolomics. The results showed that wax reduced the incidence of chilling injury in plum fruit and slowed down the rate of loss of fruit firmness, and that the abundant wax structure not only protected the epidermal cells but also inhibited high-intensity respiration of the fruit. The correlation analysis between wax components and chilling injury illustrated that triterpene components were positively correlated with the occurrence of chilling injury. In summary, the present study revealed that wax components were involved in regulating chilling injury in plums, which provides a research idea to delay and reduce the occurrence of chilling injury in plums.

A study on postharvest calcium treatment on chilling injury of tomato fruit

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) provides a significant amount of vitamins, carotenes, dietary fibres, minerals, and flavonoids, making it a valuable source of nutrients. However, chilling injury (CI) affects tomatoes when the temperature falls below 12°C. Postharvest losses of tomato fruit range from 25% to 42% worldwide, representing losses both in terms of quantity and quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of calcium chloride (CaCl2) treatments on tomato fruit’s CI and the physicochemical quality of postharvest tomato fruit with CaCl2 treatment. Different strengths of CaCl2 (0.5, 2.5, and 4.5% w/v) and control (distilled water) were prepared, and the fruits were soaked for 10 mins as a calcium treatment. Tomato fruits were stored at (5±1°C) prior to the physicochemical analysis; the percentage of chilling injury, surface pitting, weight loss, pH, total soluble sugar (TSS), and concentration of vitamin C was determined at 0, 7, 14, 28 and 42 days of storage. The data significance was analysed by ANOVA test. The result showed that the higher concentration of CaCl2 can significantly decrease (p<0.05) the chilling injury symptom of the tomato fruit for all treatments. The treatment of 4.5% w/v of CaCl2 at days 28 and 42 was found to have a lower CI symptom with (0.66±0.01%) and (1.20±0.01%) respectively. The other physicochemical characteristics were also changed along the treatment of CaCl2.

PpHsfA2a-regulated the accumulation of proline and polyamines participates in glycine betaine-enhanced chilling resistance in peach fruit

Application of glycine betaine (GB) was found to efficiently alleviate chilling injury (CI) of peach fruit under chilling conditions, but the molecular mechanism of which remains unclear. In this work, GB treatment retained lower internal browning index accompanied by lower relative conductivity and malondialdehyde content in cold stored peaches. Meanwhile, GB treatment elevated the gene transcription and activities of Δ 1-pyroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), ornithine δ-aminotransferase (OAT), arginase (ARG), arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), weakened the gene transcription and activity of proline dehydrogenase (PDH), contributing to the accumulation of proline and polyamines (PAs). Moreover, PpHsfA2a was highly expressed under cold stress and GB treatment, which was further found to be located in the nucleus with transactivation capacity. Importantly, PpHsfA2a activated the expression of PpARG, PpOAT and PpADC by directly recognizing and binding to the HSE elements in their promoters. Consequently, these results suggested that PpHsfA2a-mediated the transcriptional activation of proline and PAs accumulation related genes was involved in GB-enhanced chilling resistance in peach fruit, which was beneficial for the integrity of cell membrane function and structure under cold conditions.

Exogenous dopamine ameliorates chilling injury of banana fruits during cold storage

This study investigated postharvest dopamine treatment efficiency in ameliorating chilling injury of banana fruits during storage at 7 ºC for 21 days. Our results showed that dopamine treatment at 150 µM promoted phenols and flavonoids biosynthesis acquired by higher phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) expression and activity concurrent with lower polyphenol oxidase (PPO) expression and activity leading to higher DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS radicals scavenging activity. In addition, dopamine treatment at 150 µM promoted endogenous proline biosynthesis by activating pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) and ornithine δ-aminotransferase (OAT) expression and activity concurrent with suppressing proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) expression and activity. Furthermore, higher endogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) biosynthesis in banana fruits by 150 µM dopamine treatment was accompanied by higher glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA transaminase (GABA-T) expression and activity. Therefore, our results suggest that dopamine treatment at 150 µM might be employed for banana fruits chilling injury amelioration by enhancing phenylpropanoid pathway activity and boosting endogenous proline and GABA biosynthesis.

PpERF-CRF3 selected by transcriptomic analysis plays key roles in the regulation of ABA alleviating chilling injury in peach fruit

Abscisic acid (ABA) is widely utilized to mitigate chilling injury (CI) of fruit. However, the molecular mechanism of ABA alleviates CI in peach fruit remain unclear. Herein, 10−4 M ABA treatment significantly mitigated the CI of peach fruit by reducing relative conductivity and malondialdehyde content, while increasing proline and endogenous ABA content. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that an abundant number of differentially expressed genes were altered by ABA treatment, which primarily enriched pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction, glycerophospholipid metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. RNA-Seq results indicate that ABA modulates the transcription of genes involved in auxin, ABA and ethylene signal transduction, as well as in cell wall degradation, antioxidant, fatty acid desaturation and proline metabolism. RT-qPCR confirmed the RNA-Seq results, ABA treatment induced the transcription of proline metabolism related genes (PpP5CR2, PpP5CS, PpP5CS1) and PpERF-CRF3. Particularly noteworthy, as a nuclear protein, PpERF-CRF3 activated the expression of PpP5CR2 and PpP5CS by directly binding to their promoters and over-expression PpERF-CRF3 increased proline content and enhanced PpP5CR2 and PpP5CS expression. Overall, these findings suggest that ABA mitigates CI in peach fruit may be by mediating these pathways, and PpERF-CRF3 potentially involves this process by stimulating the expression of genes related to proline synthesis.

Roles of Nitric Oxide and Brassinosteroid in Improving Fruit Quality during Postharvest: Potential Regulators?

Most postharvest fruits are highly perishable, which directly impairs fruit taste and causes an economic loss of fresh products. Thus, it is necessary to find effective techniques to alleviate this issue. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) and brassinosteroid (BR) have been developed as postharvest alternatives to improve fruit quality. This work mainly reviews the recent processes of NO and BR in improving fruit quality during postharvest. Exogenous NO or BR treatments delayed fruit senescence, enhanced disease resistance, and alleviated chilling injury in postharvest fruit, and potential physiological and biochemical mechanisms mainly include (1) enhancing antioxidant and defense ability, (2) affecting ethylene biosynthesis, (3) regulating sugar and energy metabolism, (4) mediating plant hormone signaling, and (5) regulating protein S-nitrosylation and DNA methylation. This review concludes the functions and mechanisms of NO and BR in improving postharvest fruit quality. Additionally, a specific finding is the possible crosstalk of applications of NO and BR during postharvest fruit storage, which provides new insights into the applicability of NO and BR for delaying fruit senescence, enhancing disease resistances of fruit, and alleviating chilling injury in postharvest fruit.

Hydrogen sulfide attenuates chilling injury in loquat fruit by alleviating oxidative stress and maintaining cell membrane integrity

The effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on chilling injury (CI), reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, sugar metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and membrane lipid metabolism in loquat fruit throughout the refrigerated period were investigated in this study. The findings indicated that H2S application restrained the increase in internal browning (IB), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and electrolyte leakage, while sustaining higher total phenolic and total flavonoid levels, and lower soluble quinone content in loquat fruit. Besides, H2S promoted antioxidant accumulation and increased antioxidant enzyme activities by the regulation of ROS metabolism, along with increasing fructose and glucose levels and reducing power by activating sugar metabolism and PPP. Furthermore, H2S treatment retarded the degradation of phospholipids and fatty acids in loquat fruit by modulating membrane lipid metabolism relevant enzyme activities. These findings indicated that H2S application mitigated CI in loquat fruit by alleviating oxidative stress and maintaining cell membrane structural integrity.

Impact of Postharvest application with Nano chitosan and Nano salicylic acid on reducing chilling injury and Quality maintenance of Sweet Pepper Fruits during cold storage

Impact of Postharvest application with Nano chitosan and Nano salicylic acid on reducing chilling injury and Quality maintenance of Sweet Pepper Fruits during cold storage

The CpCOR1 gene enhances cold tolerance and antioxidant activity of papaya fruit in response to postharvest chilling stress

Inappropriate low temperatures can induce harmful effects on postharvest papaya fruit. Based on the effects of cold shock treatment (CST, 3 ℃ ice-water for 0.5 h) on reducing the chilling injury index (CI index) of papaya fruit, this study focuses on elucidating the role of CpCOR1, a gene encoding a cold-regulated protein, in the manifestation of low temperature-induced chilling injury in papaya fruit. Our results demonstrate that CST significantly reduced the CI index, concurrently preserving the cell microstructure and mitigating the increase in cell membrane permeability during both 5 ℃ and 25 ℃ storage. Transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR revealed a substantial up-regulation of the CpCOR1 gene in CST papaya fruit compared to the control fruit. Moreover, bioinformatics and sub-cellular localization assays revealed that CpCOR1 has a coding sequence of 606 bp and an amino acid sequence of 201 aa, and is localized to the cell membrane. Furthermore, overexpression of CpCOR1 in tobacco leaves and papaya fruit significantly alleviated CI symptoms, suppressed yellowing, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and maintained higher activities of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). In summary, our findings suggest that cold shock treatment is an effective strategy to retard the onset of low-temperature damage, with CpCOR1 playing a pivotal role in enhancing cold resistance and antioxidant activity in papaya fruit.

Melatonin and methyl jasmonate inhibited the chilling injury of postharvest pitaya fruit after cold storage by regulating the antioxidant system

ABSTRACT Chilling injury (CI) is the main physiological disease caused shelf decay of pitaya fruit after low-temperature storage. To find ways to control the chilling injury of pitaya fruit, we conducted the effects of postharvest treatment with 1.0 mmol L−1 melatonin (MT) and 0.1 mmol L−1 methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the chilling injury of pitaya vs Zihonglong at 3 days of shelf life after storage at 2 ± 0.5°C. The results showed that both MeJA and MT promote the accumulation of antioxidants and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, and inhibit the respiration rate and ethylene release rate, thereby reducing the incidence of chilling injury after cold storage, keeping the shelf quality of pitaya fruit and prolonging the shelf life of pitaya fruit. In summary, postharvest MeJA or MT inhibited the chilling injury of pitaya fruit by regulating the antioxidant system.

A comprehensive physiological and -Omic analysis of trypsin-mediated protection of green pepper fruits from chilling injury

Chilling injury (CI) in green pepper fruits during low-temperature storage causes a significant decline in quality. The present study utilized physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses to idneitfy the mechanisms by which trypsin mitigates CI in green peppers stored at 4 °C for 8 days, followed by 3 days of shelf life. Results indicated that the trypsin treatment significantly reduced electrolyte leakage and the CI index in peppers, effectively extending their shelf life and preserving postharvest quality. After 4 days of storage, comparative -omic analyses identified 2514 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 397 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) between trypsin-treated and control peppers. The trypsin treatment induced changes in sugar metabolism, modulating the expression of HK, SUS, INV, and GLGC, which affected the abundance of metabolites such as CDP-glucose and α-D-p-glucose. Trypsin also enhanced carotenoid metabolism, altering the abundance of rhodopinal glucoside, 1′-hydroxyl-γ-carotene glucoside, and farnesyl 1-PP, and influencing the expression of PDS, CRTH, CRTB, and LUT5. Notably, the trypsin treatment activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway that plays an integral role in the signal transduction of abiotic stress. Differential expression of FLS2, ELF18, PTO, PR1, PTI5, WPKY, MEKK1, and MPK6 genes in the MAPK pathway was observed, which was correlated with CI mitigation in green peppers during cold storage. In conclusion, trypsin is an effective treatment for reducing CI in green peppers during cold storage. The present study provides valuable insights into its physiological and molecular impact on green pepper fruit.

Production area and climate as predisposing factors in the development of chilling injury of citrus fruit

Production area and climate as predisposing factors in the development of chilling injury of citrus fruit

Factors that Affect the Quality of Olive Oil Produced Using Olives from Traditional Orchards in the Middle East

Traditional olive (Olea europaea) orchards have been grown for thousands of years and still occupy most of the world’s cultivated olive areas. To compete with olive oil produced in the higher-yielding intensive orchards, the oil from traditional orchards must be of high quality. We evaluated oil quality—potential and actual (under commercial conditions)—and tested the stages in the production chain that are likely to reduce oil quality in the traditional sector in the Middle East region. Our findings show a clear negative impact of growers’ traditional practices on both the chemical and sensory characteristics of olive oil. The oil originating from the commercial process had higher free fatty acid and lower polyphenol and carotenoid contents, lower stability, lower pungency, lower fruitiness, lower bitterness, and a higher prevalence of organoleptic defects than oil that originated from fruit picked from the same trees during the experimental procedure. The current common harvesting technique of pole beating significantly increased fruit injury and fruit with mold, leading to a reduction in oil polyphenols and an increase in free fatty acid levels compared with those resulting from manual picking. In addition, after harvest, storing the fruit for more than 48 hours in plastic bags dramatically reduced the oil quality. The traditional olive orchard could be a source of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. However, fruit handling—from the trees until the end of the oil extraction process—is performed incorrectly, thus adversely affecting the oil quality.

Hydrogen sulfide alleviates the chilling-induced lignification in loquat fruit by regulating shikimate, phenylpropanoid and cell wall metabolisms

Lignification is a typical symptom of chilling injury (CI) in loquat fruit under chilling stress. This study investigated the impact of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on endogenous H2S, shikimate, phenylpropanoid, and cell wall metabolisms of loquat fruit during refrigeration. The findings suggested that H2S treatment hindered the rise in the CI index and firmness while delaying the reduction in extractable juice, soluble sugar, and titratable acid content of loquat fruit. Besides, H2S treatment promoted the endogenous H2S content, which was correlated with the increase in activities of related H2S synthase enzymes. Furthermore, H2S suppressed enzymes involved in shikimate and phenylpropanoid metabolisms, thereby decreasing phenylalanine and lignin accumulation. Simultaneously, H2S treatment retarded the increases in insoluble pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose by orchestrating cell wall-modifying enzymes. This work indicates that H2S treatment may alleviate chilling-induced lignification by inhibiting lignin accumulation and enhancing the depolymerization and solubilization of cell wall polysaccharides.

PpCaM7 and PpCAMTA5 synergistically mitigate chilling-induced browning by suppressing reactive oxygen species synthesis in peach fruit

This study investigated the potential regulatory mechanisms influencing chilling injury in peach fruit under various storage temperatures (0 ℃ and 5 ℃) and calcium treatments (calcium chloride (CaCl2) and trifluoperazine (TFP)). The results showed that 0 ℃ storage and CaCl2 treatment activated the expression of PpCAMTA5, while repressed the expression of PpNAC25, PpPAO, PpRBOHA, PpRBOHC, and PpRBOHD, and reduced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content. This concerted regulation effectively suppressed chilling-induced browning in peach fruit during cold storage. However, the opposite effects were presented in TFP-treated fruit. Additionally, the interaction between PpCaM7 and PpCAMTA5 inhibited PpNAC25-mediated transcriptional activation of PpPAO, PpRBOHA, PpRBOHC, and PpRBOHD. Thus, these results suggested that the PpCaM7-PpCAMTA5 complex mitigates chilling injury in peach fruit via inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.

Transcriptome analysis reveals that trehalose alleviates chilling injury of peach fruit by regulating ROS signaling pathway and enhancing antioxidant capacity

Peach fruit is prone to chilling injury (CI) during low-temperature storage, resulting in quality deterioration and economic losses. Our previous studies have found that exogenous trehalose treatment can alleviate the CI symptoms of peach by increasing sucrose accumulation. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential molecular mechanism of trehalose treatment in alleviating CI in postharvest peach fruit. Transcriptome analysis showed that trehalose induced gene expression in pathways of plant MAPK signaling, calcium signaling, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis indicated that PpCDPK24 may activate the ROS signaling pathway by phosphorylating PpRBOHE. Besides, PpWRKY40 mediates the activation of PpMAPKKK2-induced ROS signaling pathway by interacting with the PpRBOHE promoter. Accordingly, trehalose treatment significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant-related enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and gluathione reductase (GR), as well as the transcription levels AsA-GSH cycle related gene, which led to the reduction of H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in peach during cold storage. In summary, our results suggest that the potential molecular mechanism of trehalose treatment is to enhance antioxidant capacity by activating CDPK-mediated Ca2 + −ROS signaling pathway and WRKY-mediated MAPK-WRKY-ROS signaling pathway, thereby reducing the CI in peach fruit.

Exogenous Gibberellic Acid Ameliorates Chilling Injury in Peach (Prunus persica L.) by Improving the Antioxidant System

Currently, several studies have demonstrated that cold stress can cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in fruit. However, little is known about the roles of gibberellic acid (GA3) on the antioxidant system in the mitochondria of fruit. To explore the molecular basis of GA3 interference with the chilling tolerance of fruit, ‘Jinqiuhongmi’ peach fruit was treated with 0.1 mmol L−1 GA3 after harvest. Exogenous GA3 treatment relieved the chilling injury of postharvest peach fruit with a lower cold injury index and higher antioxidant level. In addition, GA3 delayed the senescence of peaches by reducing the firmness, respiratory action, and ethylene production. The antioxidant enzyme activities were elevated, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Moreover, GA3-treated peaches exhibited lower hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in comparison with the control. These results showed that the application of 0.1 mmol L−1 of GA3 enhanced the chilling resistance of peach fruit by regulating the antioxidant system.

Near-Freezing Temperature Storage Improves Peach Fruit Chilling Tolerance by Regulating the Antioxidant and Proline Metabolism

Chilling injury (CI) in peach fruit (Prunus persica cv. Yuhualu) is generally caused by long-time low temperature (5 °C or 0 °C) storage. However, peach fruit stored at near-freezing temperature (NFT in this research is −1 °C), defined as within 0.5 °C above the biological freezing point of biological tissue, does not exhibit CI symptoms. The effect of NFT on the CI, proline metabolism, and antioxidant capability of peach fruit during storage was studied and compared with 5 °C and 0 °C storage as controls. The results exhibit that NFT completely inhibited the occurrence of CI in peach fruit. NFT significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging capacity. Moreover, the increase of malondialdehyde, ion leakage, and H2O2 accumulation were inhibited remarkably by NFT, and decreases in the contents of phenolics and ascorbic acid were slowed significantly in peach fruit stored at NFT (p < 0.05). Additionally, NFT storage enhanced proline accumulation by modulating the activity of proline metabolizing enzymes. In conclusion, the above results suggest that NFT storage can improve the chilling tolerance of peach fruit by regulating the antioxidant defense and proline metabolism, which might represent a potential novel method to store fruits and vegetables for longer storage times.

Spraying L-phenylalanine during fruit development alleviates chilling injury in harvested muskmelons by regulating membrane lipid metabolism

L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) is an aromatic essential amino acid. Although postharvest L-Phe treatment can alleviate chilling injury (CI) of fruit by scavenging excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), there are no reports on whether L-Phe spraying during fruit development affects the CI of harvested muskmelon by regulating membrane lipid metabolism. In this study, plants and fruit of muskmelon (cv. Manao) were sequentially sprayed with 8 mM L-Phe four times at the young fruit stage, early expansion stage, late expansion stage and mature stage. The effect of L-Phe spraying during fruit development on CI of harvested muskmelon fruit was studied and to the related mechanism of membrane lipid metabolism was investigated. The results showed that L-Phe sprays activated phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and increased the content of unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid and oleic acid, and improved the double bond index of unsaturated fatty acids (DBI) in harvested muskmelons during cold storage. L-Phe sprays inhibited the phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD), increased the content of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), but decreased the content of phosphatidic acid (PA) in harvested muskmelons during cold storage. In addition, L-Phe sprays inhibited lipoxygenase (LOX), reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and cell membrane permeability, and effectively reduced the CI index of harvested muskmelons during cold storage. Taken together, L-Phe sprays during fruit development alleviated CI in harvested muskmelons by regulating membrane lipid metabolism.