Green pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) is prone to chilling injury (CI) during cold storage at 4℃, leading to rapid quality deterioration. Existing preservation technologies have limitations such as chemical residues and thermal damage. This study was the first to investigate the alleviating effect and physiological basis of high-voltage cold plasma (HVCP) on postharvest CI in green pepper. Fruits were treated with HVCP (50 kV) for 30–150 s and then stored at 4℃ for 12 days. The results showed that the 60 s treatment achieved the optimal effect, reducing the CI index by 94.74% and weight loss rate by 73.54%, and significantly delaying the deterioration of texture, color and chlorophyll content. Mechanistic analysis revealed that HVCP induced an early, transient and reversible moderate accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ contents increased by 15.59% and 89.82%, respectively, compared with the control on day 2 after treatment), and synergistically activated the antioxidant enzyme system and the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle at the transcriptional level. Meanwhile, it inhibited the activities and gene expression of key enzymes involved in membrane lipid degradation, reduced phospholipid degradation and polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidation, and increased the unsaturation degree of fatty acids (U/S ratio) by 22.17% at the end of storage compared with the control, thereby maintaining cell membrane integrity. Correlation and principal component analyses confirmed that HVCP enhanced the chilling tolerance of green pepper by coordinately regulating antioxidant defense and membrane lipid homeostasis, providing experimental evidence for its application as a green non-thermal preservation technology.

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is a major postharvest disease of grapes, leading to substantial quality loss and economic damage. This study evaluated the antifungal efficacy and underlying mechanisms of cold plasma (CP) treatment against B. cinerea in vitro and in vivo. In vitro assays showed that CP treatment at 90 kV significantly inhibited colony growth and spore germination, accompanied by pronounced structural damage observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). CP treatment induced intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and leakage of nucleic acids and proteins, while markedly reducing ergosterol content through downregulation of key biosynthetic genes (ERG1, ERG3, ERG5, and ERG25). These effects disrupted cell membrane integrity and decreased fungal viability. In vivo experiments demonstrated that CP treatment (90 kV, 60 s) effectively reduced lesion development on inoculated grapes without adversely affecting fruit firmness, soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), or epicuticular wax structure, and delayed the decline of phenolic and flavonoid content during storage. Longer treatment times caused epidermal damage, highlighting the importance of optimizing exposure conditions. Overall, CP treatment inhibited B. cinerea infection in grapes by inducing oxidative stress and impairing ergosterol biosynthesis. These findings suggest that CP treatment could be a promising, residue-free technology for the management of gray mold on grapes in postharvest.

Flat nectarine often experience cold chain breakage during loading and unloading, but the impact of the resulting temperature fluctuations on their post-harvest quality remains unclear. In this study, simulate cold chain group (SC) and simulate cold chain fracture group (SF) were set up to investigate the postharvest quality and softening related cell wall metabolism of flat nectarines. Compared with SC, SF underwent two 6-hour heating periods at 25 +/- 1 degrees C, with increased rot, weight loss, soluble solids, and earlier respiration intensity and ethylene peak production. In addition, cold chain breakage enhanced the expression of PpCx, PpPME1, Pp beta-GAL5, PpPG1, and PpPL, which increase the activity of cell wall-modifying enzymes, Cx, beta-Gal, XET, alpha-ARF, xyl, PG, PL, and PME. The changes are associated with decrease in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin (CSP, SSP) contents, accelerating fruit softening. Microscopic observation revealed that the cell wall disintegration and fruit peel wax shedding were more pronounced following cold chain breakage. Overall, cold chain breakage caused premature ripening and aging of flat nectarine, intensified softening, and increased decay and weight loss. Therefore, supply chains should be optimized in the later stages to minimize economic losses.

Lycopene cyclization and abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism contribute to postharvest fruit ripening and color development; however, their transcriptional regulation by fruit-associated transcription factors (TFs) remains poorly defined. In this study, stable CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and overexpression tomato lines were used to investigate the role of Colorless non-ripening (SlCNR), an SBP/SPL family TF with high expression in tomato fruit, during postharvest ripening. Fruit was harvested at the mature green stage and stored at room temperature for 16 days, during which ripening-related quality traits, including firmness, total soluble solids, lycopene content, total flavonoid content, and weight loss, were monitored at 4-day intervals. At the ripening stage, compared with wild-type (WT) fruit, KO-SlCNR fruit exhibited increased b* values, a 50-70 % reduction in lycopene content, and elevated ABA levels, whereas OE-SlCNR fruit displayed opposite trends. KO-SlCNR fruit also produced less ethylene during postharvest ripening, and exogenous ethylene application failed to restore lycopene accumulation to WT levels. Transcriptomic and qRT-PCR analyses revealed distinct transcriptional changes in lycopene cyclase and ABA metabolic genes in SlCNR transgenic fruit. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that SlCNR directly represses the lycopene cyclase genes SlLCY-E and SlCYC-B and the ABA biosynthetic gene SlNCED1, while activating the ABA catabolic gene SlCYP707A2 to promote lycopene accumulation and concurrently reduce ABA biosynthesis. Collectively, these findings identify SlCNR as a transcriptional regulator that integrates lycopene cyclization and ABA metabolism during postharvest fruit ripening.

Tannic acid (TA), a naturally occurring polyphenol, exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. This study elucidates the mechanisms by which TA controls Alternaria alternata in Korla fragrant pears. In vitro, TA at 10 mg mL-1 directly inhibited fungal growth by inducing hyphal deformation. In vivo, TA treatment significantly attenuated blackhead disease development. The underlying protective mechanism involved two coordinated pathways: first, TA enhanced the activity and gene expression of key antioxidant enzymes [Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), Glutathione reductase (GR), Catalase (CAT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD)], sustaining the ascorbic acid-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle to scavenge excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Second, TA suppressed the activity and gene expression of lipid-degrading enzymes [Lipoxygenase (LOX), lipase, Phospholipase C (PLC), Phospholipase D (PLD), Phospholipase A2 (PLA2)] while elevating fatty acid desaturation enzymes (FADS) activity. This regulation preserved membrane lipids [phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs)], reduced harmful metabolites [phosphatidic acid (PA), free fatty acids (FFAs), and malondialdehyde (MDA)], and thereby maintained membrane integrity. Our findings demonstrate that TA functions as a multi-target postharvest treatment, primarily through the dual regulation of redox homeostasis and membrane lipid metabolism to reinforce fruit resistance.

Cold-induced flesh reddening of the black-skinned and amber-fleshed plum cultivars are characterized by the enhancement of nutritional value and biofunction activities. In this study, cold storage induced the flesh reddening of ‘Angeleno’ plums (Prunus salicina Lindl), accompanied by significant accumulation of anthocyanins and upregulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. The biosynthesis of jasmonic acid (JA) was also involved. evm.TU.Chr5.2239, a bHLH family transcription factor, was identified through expression analysis and bioinformatics analysis and designated as PsMYC2, a key transcription factors in JA signaling pathway. Further investigations revealed PsMYC2 localized in the nucleus, possessed self-activation activity and cold tolerance. Transit overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing experiments verified the gene functioned as a positive regulator on the anthocyanin biosynthesis. Results of dual-luciferase reporter assay, yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that PsMYC2 directly binding to and activating the promoters of PsGST. The transcriptional regulatory mechanism of PsMYC2 in the cold-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis was thereby established. For validation, PsMYC2 was found involved in the exogenous methyl jasmonate treatment promoted flesh reddening of plums, accompanied with the upregulation of the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. This study successfully elucidates the transcriptional regulatory mechanism by which PsMYC2 promotes cold-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in plum flesh via jasmonic acid mediated pathway, providing a crucial theoretical foundation for the transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in plum fruits in response to cold stress.

Flesh-reddening in yellow-fleshed plum fruit during cold storage has attracted considerable attention. To elucidate the regulatory role of jasmonic acid (JA) in the cold stress response in plum fruit, changes in flesh coloration and associated biochemical metabolisms were investigated in yellow-fleshed ‘Hongcui’ plum treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or its antagonist sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DIECA). Compared with untreated and DIECA-treated fruit, MeJA-treated plums developed more intense and earlier flesh reddening during cold storage and the subsequent shelf life. MeJA treatment elicited the endogenous ethylene production and jasmonic acid level. The contents of total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and the antioxidant capacity were markedly enhanced during the flesh-reddening process in MeJA-treated fruit, accompanied by the increased activities of key enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanin synthase (ANS), and UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT). Gene enrichment analysis revealed an overall up-regulation trend of gene transcription associated with PsPAL, PsDFR, PsANS, PsUFGT, PsACS, and PsACO, and jasmonic acid biosynthesis pathway in the plums after MeJA treatment. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the MeJA treatment increased the abundance of specific flavonoids, notably cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, dihydroquercetin, and rutin. Integrative analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data indicated strong correlations between specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) within the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. These findings underscore the potential of MeJA as a promising postharvest method to enhance both the appearance and functional properties of plum fruit.

Starch degradation is considered a characteristic trait of apple ripening, but its relationship with flesh mealiness remains unclear. To address this, starch degradation in textural alterations of ‘Red Delicious’ apples at two maturity stages (ready-to-pick and ready-to-eat) were comparatively investigated. Histological and ultrastructural observations indicated that the mealiness occurred in the apple fruit harvested at both stages, though with different periods. The results obtained from either native starch-dying with iodine or chemical stoichiometry suggested the close correlation of starch content, activities of α-amylase (AMY) and β-amylase (BAM), with the progress of mealiness. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that starch and sucrose metabolism were much highly enriched during apple mealiness. Transcription of genes of MdBAM, MdMES1, and MdpGlcT4, associated with starch metabolic pathway, were up-regulated. Weighted correlation network analysis identified co-expressed modules linking cell wall hydrolases and starch degradation enzymes including BAM to mealiness. The transcription factors MdERF and MdNAC exhibited synchronized expression patterns with starch metabolic genes, suggesting their functions in coordinating mealiness and starch metabolism. Collectively, the results obtained from our work suggested that starch degradation contributed most to the mealiness of apple fruit. This interplay suggests that starch breakdown accelerates textural alterations not independently, but through synergistic crosstalk with cell wall remodeling and is proportional to maturity. Our findings thus provide a framework for understanding postharvest mealiness as a process driven by both starch metabolism and cell wall dynamics, offering novel targets for modulating fruit texture retention.

Abstract Maintaining energy homeostasis is essential for preserving postharvest fruit quality. This study investigated the effects of near-freezing temperature (NFT; −1±0.5 °C) storage on respiratory and energy metabolism in prunes (Prunus domestica L.) compared with conventional low-temperature (LT; 4±0.5 °C) storage. Over 42 d, NFT-treated prunes exhibited significantly lower weight loss, firmer texture, and delayed color changes relative to LT samples. NFT suppressed respiration rate and ethylene production, reduced cell membrane permeability and malondialdehyde accumulation, and better preserved mitochondrial structure. At the metabolic level, NFT maintained higher adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and energy charge, enhanced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate accumulation, and delayed the decline of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase activity. NFT downregulated hexokinase and phosphoglucose isomerase, conserving ATP and redirecting glucose-6-phosphate flux toward the pentose phosphate pathway, thereby promoting redox balance. The expression of pyruvate kinase was upregulated under NFT, facilitating pyruvate entry into the tricarboxylic acid cycle while suppressing pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase expression, thus limiting anaerobic fermentation. The activities of key mitochondrial enzymes, including succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase, and ATPase, were consistently higher under NFT, supporting efficient oxidative phosphorylation. NFT modulated respiratory and energy metabolism to maintain energy stability, delay senescence, and extend storage life in prunes. These findings highlight NFT as an effective strategy to preserve postharvest quality and provide mechanistic insights into temperature-mediated regulation of fruit metabolism.

A three-dimensional-simulation-assistant optimization of heat transfer in three cultivars ('Jinhuang', 'Guifei', and 'Tainong') of mango fruit with distinct sizes during postharvest hot water treatment (HWT) was investigated. Through temperature field simulation and experimental verification, the maximum temperature disparity between peel and core reached 26.66 °C. Maintenance of temperature field of peel at 52 °C during HWT significantly delayed the mango ripening. HWT enhanced the fresh and sweet flavor mainly by regulating dynamic changes of key volatile substances such as elevating 3-hexen-1-ol, 2-hexenal, benzene, 2.3-butanedione, and butanoates in ‘Jinhuang’, increasing retention of 3-hexen-1-ol, nonanal and α-gurjunene in ‘Guifei’, and enriching 3-hexen-1-ol, α-pinene and butanoates in ‘Tainong’. HWT made wax ultrastructure smoother, reduced pores, and significantly increased aldehyde substances. Transcriptomic profiling revealed the up-regulated CYP77A3 and FAR1 associated with the wax biosynthesis pathway by HWT. The results provide a promising application of HWT as a green and eco-friendly postharvest fruit preservation technology.

Mealiness, characterized by soft, mouth-drying, grainy, and floury sensation, is a major textural deterioration in stored apples. This study investigated the underlying mechanism by comparing the rapid-mealy ‘Huaniu’ apple, which became fully mealy within 14 days (d) at 25°C, with the slow/non-mealy ‘Orin’ apple, which maintained texture beyond 63 d. Texture property analysis indicated that ‘Huaniu’ apples had more rapid changes in hardness, expressible juice, cohesiveness, and springiness than ‘Orin’ apples. A sharp early surge in ethylene production and respiration intensity occurred in ‘Huaniu’ by 7 d, dramatically earlier than that in ‘Orin’ (49 d). Immunolabelling revealed a decrease in homogalacturonan (HG) during mealiness. Notably, cell walls of ‘Huaniu’ exhibited more intense labelling of non-methyl-esterified HG compared to ‘Orin’. The irregular, separated, shriveled and intact cells were observed in ‘Huaniu’ at the mealy stage, while no obvious changes in ‘Orin’. X-ray diffraction, low field nuclear magnetic resonance, and PCA of FTIR data of cell wall materials (CWM) further distinguished the cultivars. Analysis of CWM and pectic fractions (water-soluble pectin (WSP), chelator-soluble pectin (CSP), and sodium carbonate-soluble pectin (SSP)) showed a substantial loss of galactose in ‘Huaniu’, particularly from CSP and SSP. Pearson correlation indicated this galactose depletion likely promoted degradation of galactan side chains in pectin polymers, weakening intercellular adhesion and accelerating mealiness development. The results provide an approach to understand the underlying mechanism of mouthfeel deterioration of apple fruit.

Cold storage of amber-fleshed black plums induced the biosynthesis and accumulation of anthocyanin in plum fruit, which caused the color change of the flesh tissue when stored at low temperature. bHLH transcription factors had potential functions in response to cold induction and anthocyanin biosynthesis. To investigate the role of bHLH genes, two amber-fleshed and black-skinned cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl. cv. Friar and cv. Angeleno) were selected as fruit material to conduct transcriptomic and bioinformatics analysis. The differentially expressed bHLHs genes were identified via RNA sequencing and verified by qRT-PCR. Ten bHLHs genes, containing 5 up-regulated and 5 down-regulated, were identified as the most significantly altered during cold-induced flesh reddening. The structure of these 10 bHLH proteins was characterized, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. Among them, the gene evm.TU.Chr8.2504, identified as PsbHLH3, exhibits low temperature responsiveness and contains MYB-binding sites. Further experiments involving transient overexpression were performed to validate the function of PsbHLH3 in facilitating anthocyanin biosynthesis. The yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation demonstrated that PsbHLH3 interacts with PsMYB10.1. Dual-luciferase assay showed that PsbHLH3 promoted the activation of PsMYB10.1 on the promoter of PsUFGT, and consequently augmenting the transcription of structural genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis. The study indicated that low temperatures induced the up-regulation of PsbHLH3, facilitating the opening of ON/OFF molecular switch responsible for the flesh-reddening of plum fruit. This elucidates the role of PsbHLH3 in postharvest regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in plums trigged by cold storage.

Grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is a significant postharvest disease leading to substantial economic losses in the grape industry. This study investigated the regulatory mechanism of 3-methyl-1-butanol (3M1B), a yeast volatile substance, on B. cinerea resistance in red grapes (Vitis vinifera L.). Our findings demonstrate that 3M1B induces resistance by modulating phenylpropane and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism. Specifically, treatment with 50 μL mL-1 3M1B effectively inhibited B. cinerea lesion development on red grape surfaces and delayed fruit quality deterioration. Further analysis revealed that 3M1B enhanced the activity and gene expression of key enzymes in the phenylpropane pathway, including phenylalanine aminase, cinnamic acid-4-hydroxylase and 4-coumaric acid coenzyme A ligase, promoting the accumulation of related secondary metabolites. Furthermore, ROS metabolic analysis showed that 3M1B treatment reduced hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion accumulation. This treatment also stimulated the activity and transcriptional levels of antioxidant enzymes involved in ROS clearance, and synergistically improved oxidative stress through the glutathione-ascorbic acid cycle. These results indicate that 3M1B maintains postharvest quality of red grapes by enhancing phenylpropane and ROS metabolism.

With the increasing attention on food safety and health promotion, the development of natural, non-toxic and biodegradable encapsulation materials is upcoming in food system. Cyclodextrin-based metal-organic frameworks (CD-MOFs) are promising edible MOFs currently reported, consisting of cyclodextrins and alkali metal ions with different crystal configurations and cavity sizes. CD-MOFs not only maintain advantages of common MOFs such as highly porous structure, diversified functional sites, unique host-guest interactions, but also bring the desirable features of CDs such as nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and environmental friendliness. CD-MOFs possessed good properties of internal and external hydrophilicity, adsorption and separation, and biocompatibility. The loading of active ingredients into CD-MOFs can enhance their stability, targeted delivery and controlled release. These features make CD-MOFs great potential in applications in biomedicine, chemical products, environment protection, as well as food industry. Here, the most advanced progress in the study on the structure, synthesis and physicochemical properties of CD-MOFs was introduced. Then, the current status of the application of CD-MOFs in active ingredients loading, protection, targeted delivery and slow release in food matrix were comprehensively summarized, especially the relevant reports in the past five years. The potential opportunities and prospects for the development of novel complexes with CD-MOFs are envisioned.

With the rise of the lazy economy, pre-made foods have drawn increasing attention in recent years. Pre-made fruit and vegetable products are the most common plant-based pre-made food products. Among them, readyto-eat fruit and vegetable products (RFVP) play the most important roles. In this paper, the recent advances in the applications of different technologies in the processing of RFVP to improve their freshness, quality and safety were summarized for the first time. It was shown that physical [low-temperature blanching, flash vacuumexpansion, ultra high-pressure treatment (UHPT), high-pressure high-temperature, hot air drying (HAD), plasma, vacuum freeze-drying, microwave freeze-drying, modified atmosphere packaging treatments and UV-C irradiation technologies], chemical (polyphenol and essential oil treatments), biological (bacteriocin and antimicrobial peptide treatments) and composite technologies (osmotic pre-treatment plus convection drying, infrared radiation heating plus HAD, ultrasound plus enzyme or disinfectant, UHPT plus beneficial microorganism as well as nisin plus radio frequency treatments) have been successfully utilized in the processing of RFVP (consisting of slices, chips, soups, salads and purees), while the sensory quality, nutrition value, microbial load and functional properties of products could be significantly improved by these technologies. Overall, our findings were meaningful for providing new insights into freshness, quality and safety improvement of RFVP.

Fresh food is highly susceptible to contamination by various microorganisms. Alternative approaches are urgent to develop for pork preservation. Herein, we designed a polyvinyl alcohol/silk fibroin (PVA/SF) based photodynamic antimicrobial composite film doped with a copper-based metal organic framework (MOF) material incorporating porphyrin for the preservation of chilled pork. 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) was fixed on the surface of Copper(II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (CuBTC) with polydopamine (PDA) as the intermediate layer to obtain CuBTC-PDA-TCPP. Then, CuBTC-PDA-TCPP was loaded into PVA/SF matrix to prepare the PVA/SF-MOF film for packaging fresh chilled pork. The inhibition rates on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached 99.99 % by the prepared material under photodynamic stimulation. The bacterial inhibition rate of PVA/SF-MOF film packaging was 79.6 %, showing good preservation and antimicrobial effect. Importantly, the films had low cytotoxicity and low possibility of Cu2+migration into pork. This work proposed a promising strategy for the development of light-activated smart antimicrobial food packaging.

The disease resistance and defense mechanisms induced by ursolic acid (UA) in apple fruit were studied in this paper. UA was directly mixed with potato dextrose agar and broth media to assay its antifungal activity in vitro. The results showed that UA exerted inherent antifungal activity and directly inhibited the in vitro growth and spore germination of Penicillium expansum. Its half-maximal inhibitory concentration for hyphal growth was 175.6 mg L−1. Apple fruit were immersed in UA solution, followed by inoculation with P. expansum, to measure their disease response. The results demonstrated that UA induced significant disease resistance in apple fruit and that its mechanisms are multifaceted and associated with defensive and antioxidative enzymes and the phenylpropanoid pathway. Chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase were activated and maintained at relatively high levels. The activities of enzymes and their metabolites in the phenylpropanoid pathway, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamate-4-hydroxylase, and 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase were significantly increased; accordingly, total phenolics, flavonoid, and lignin contents were significantly increased. The activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase were enhanced upon UA treatment, while catalase activity was suppressed, which regulates hydrogen peroxide accumulation to defend against pathogens. These results suggest that UA induces defense responses against postharvest blue mold rot in apple fruit and that it may be a promising elicitor to induce fruit disease resistance to control postharvest decay.

Table grapes possess thin skins and a high moisture content, making them particularly susceptible to mechanical damage and fungal infection during shipping and storage, leading to deterioration. Cold plasma (CP) technology is an innovative nonthermal sterilization method that effectively inhibits microbial growth. This study investigated the effects of CP treatment on disease development, respiratory metabolism, and energy status of grapes inoculated with Botrytis cinerea. CP treatment significantly reduced the disease index, lesion diameter, and respiration rate of inoculated grapes. It inhibited the disease-induced decrease in energy charge level, reduced the activities of phosphohexose isomerase (PGI), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome C oxidase (CCO), inhibited the decrease in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH). Treatment with CP increased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) kinase activity, decreased NAD and NADH levels, increased NADP and NADPH levels. It inhibited the reduction in ATPase activity of the inoculated fruit and delayed the decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) contents, while reducing the adenosine monophosphate (AMP) content. In summary, CP treatment could inhibit respiratory metabolism and maintain a higher energy status by suppressing the rise in grape respiratory metabolizing enzyme activity, inhibiting the glycolysis-tricarboxylic acid cycle and cytochrome pathway, and augmenting the pentose phosphate pathway to suppress respiratory metabolism, thereby effectively reducing disease development in grapes.

Postharvest storage quality is a major concern in the fruit industry, which directly affects consumer acceptance and market value. In this research, we explored the impacts of cold plasma (CP) treatments (30 kV, 93 kV, and 150 kV) on storage quality of apricot fruit, and explored the regulatory mechanisms of reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism and ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycling. Compared with control (CK), CP treatment effectively decreased fruit decay incidence, and delayed the decline in total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA). The 30 kV treatment had relatively little influence on maintaining freshness, while 150 kV treatment caused irreversible damage to fruit surface. However, 93 kV treatment induced the generation of appropriate ROS levels, triggering the defense response of the ROS metabolic system, which upregulated gene expression and enzyme activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR). It also promoted the synthesis of antioxidant substances including total phenols, total flavonoids, glutathione (GSH), and ascorbic acid (AsA), enhancing overall antioxidant capacity of fruit. This effectively lowered hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2 & sdot; ) levels, thereby reducing cell membrane permeability (CMP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. In conclusion, 93 kV CP treatment alleviated oxidative damage to cell and mitochondrial membranes by regulating ROS homeostasis and AsA-GSH cycling, effectively maintaining storage quality of apricot fruit.

The taste, aroma, and sensory characteristics of cherries are key factors influencing consumer acceptance. In this study, the sensory evaluation, biochemical characteristics, and their relationships with consumer satisfaction of several representative cherry cultivars were analyzed during cold storage to establish systematic quality evaluation parameters. Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed significant differences in physiological quality and metabolic profiles among the tested cultivars. Specifically, ‘Benitemari’ demonstrated more contents of soluble solids and titratable acid, while ‘Tieton’ and ‘Skeena’ showed higher concentrations of volatile organic compounds and polyphenolics. Furthermore, hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal were identified as the dominant VOCs, while cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside was confirmed as a major phenolic component across the cultivars. Finally, the comprehensive score of the principal component model was significantly positively correlated with the scores of firmness, chewiness, sweetness, sourness, and taste and bitterness in the sensory evaluation. The results were expected to provide valuable guidance for standardizing the sweet cherry supply chain and cultivating high-quality sweet cherry cultivars.