Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
2.4
3.1
Journals
Horticulturae
Special Issues
Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants
share announcement

Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 3546

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maorun Fu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Interests: dormancy; sprout; quality maintaining

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality attributes of horticulture plants change rapidly after harvest. Physiological metabolism, including ripening and senescence, respiratory, hormones, water loss, dormancy, sprout or growth, undergoes quality deterioration due to factors from the plant itself, environmental conditions and human handling. Numerous quality-maintaining technologies were developed and applied by researchers and industries, such as chemical, physical, biological and their combinations.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present state-of-the-art techniques recently developed by researchers worldwide on the biological and technological postharvest research of horticultural plants, including fruit, vegetables, flowers, tea, fresh-eating nuts and herbs.

Prof. Dr. Maorun Fu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ripening
  • senescence
  • water loss
  • dormancy
  • sprout
  • postharvest growth
  • flowers
  • fresh-eating nuts
  • quality maintaining

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 814 KiB  
Article
Changes in Nutrient Content and Physicochemical Properties of Cavendish Bananas var. Pei Chiao during Ripening
by Ping-Hsiu Huang, Yu-Tsung Cheng, Wen-Chien Lu, Po-Yuan Chiang, Jui-Lin Yeh, Chiun-Chuang (Roger) Wang, Yu-Shen Liang and Po-Hsien Li
Horticulturae 2024, 10(4), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040384 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 827
Abstract
Banana is a typical tropical fruit that is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions, and consumed daily because of its superior nutritional profile. This study aimed to investigate the changes in bananas’ physicochemical properties and nutritional composition from ripening stages 1 to [...] Read more.
Banana is a typical tropical fruit that is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions, and consumed daily because of its superior nutritional profile. This study aimed to investigate the changes in bananas’ physicochemical properties and nutritional composition from ripening stages 1 to 9. The analysis included color (peel and flesh), texture, total starch content, resistant starch content, free sugar content, minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, phosphorus), and vitamin content. At the same time, the browning enzyme activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase, oxalic acid, and tannin were also measured. In this study, the banana peel gradually changed from dark green to light green to yellow during the ripening process, eventually appearing with many black spots, while the pulp color changed from white to light yellow and decreased in brightness. The pulp became softer with a prolonged ripening period, which was inconsistent with the time point of peel color change (ripening period 4–5). However, total starch content decreased from 74% to 31%, resistant starch originally at 32% gradually decreased to 5%, and free sugar content gradually increased with increasing ripening period. Vitamin C content and PPO activity decreased significantly during the ripening period, while other vitamins and minerals did not change significantly. In contrast, oxalic acid, tannin content, and peroxidase activity were negatively correlated with the ripening period. Therefore, this study reveals the changes in the nutrient content of bananas at different ripening stages, which may provide helpful information for researchers and producers to identify suitable raw materials for producing stable and high-nutrition-value banana-related foods during the peak raw material abundance seasons while reducing business risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2423 KiB  
Article
Integrative Phytohormone and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Inhibitory Mechanism of Ethylene on Potato Tuber Sprouting at Room Temperature
by Meixue Zhang, Wenxiao Jiao, Qingmin Chen, Maorun Fu and Cong Han
Horticulturae 2024, 10(3), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10030286 - 17 Mar 2024
Viewed by 724
Abstract
As a commercial potato sprout suppressant, ethylene (Eth) is usually used under a low temperature for long-term storage of potato tubers. However, in many cases, potato tubers are usually transferred from a refrigeration house and sold at room temperature. In the present research, [...] Read more.
As a commercial potato sprout suppressant, ethylene (Eth) is usually used under a low temperature for long-term storage of potato tubers. However, in many cases, potato tubers are usually transferred from a refrigeration house and sold at room temperature. In the present research, Eth’s inhibitory effects on tuber sprouting at room temperature were investigated. The potential molecular mechanisms of Eth-induced sprout suppression were revealed by phytohormone and transcriptome analyses. Results showed that exogenous Eth significantly suppressed sprout growth in potato tubers during two weeks of storage. The endogenous plant hormone levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin (Aux) were markedly reduced by Eth treatment. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that more transcriptional changes occurred in the early stage of sprouting. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) assigned to the pathways of plant hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, which were closely associated with sprouting, were extensively down-regulated by Eth treatment. In addition, the heat map of six hormone signal transduction pathways showed that the expression of most DEGs annotated into the Aux signal transduction pathway was suppressed by Eth treatment, while the expression of many DEGs annotated as ETR (Eth receptor) and ERF1/2 (Eth-responsive transcription factor 1 and 2) in the Eth signal transduction pathway was enhanced by Eth treatment. Taken together, our results indicated that Eth-induced sprout inhibition might be closely related to the suppression of internal Aux production and signal transduction and the activation of Eth signal transduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2311 KiB  
Article
β-Aminobutyric Acid Effectively Postpones Senescence of Strawberry Fruit by Regulating Metabolism of NO, H2S, Ascorbic Acid, and ABA
by Lei Wang, Jingru Liu, Meilin Li, Li Liu, Yonghua Zheng and Hua Zhang
Horticulturae 2024, 10(3), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10030218 - 24 Feb 2024
Viewed by 871
Abstract
Current researchis focused on the influence of β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) on the metabolism of nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ascorbic acid, and abscisic acid (ABA) in strawberry fruit. The increases in ion leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in strawberry fruit [...] Read more.
Current researchis focused on the influence of β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) on the metabolism of nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ascorbic acid, and abscisic acid (ABA) in strawberry fruit. The increases in ion leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in strawberry fruit and the degradation of chlorophyll in the sepals of the fruit were markedly inhibited by BABA at 20 mM. BABA-immersed fruit exhibited lower activities and expressions of polygalacturonase (PG), pectinmethylesterase (PME), and ethylene biosynthetic enzymes compared to the control. Furthermore, BABA immersion evidently upgraded the metabolic levels of NO and H2S, including the enzymatic activities and intermediary contents of metabolites, which collectively enhanced the levels of endogenous NO and H2S contents in strawberry fruit. The high enzymatic activities and gene expressions of the AsA biosynthesis pathway jointly maintained AsA accumulation in the BABA-treated sample. The application of BABA led to a decrease in ABA concentration, which was associated with reduced activities and gene expression levels of key enzymes participating in ABA metabolism. Our experimental observations showed that immersion with BABA may be a highly promising means to delay senescence and reduce natural decay in strawberry fruit, and the alleviation in senescence using BABA may be attributed to the modulation of NO, H2S, AsA, and ABA metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3242 KiB  
Article
Invertase Plays a Vital Role in Regulating Wound-Induced Accumulation of Phenolic Compounds in Carrot Tissue
by Xinle Ren, Meilin Li, Meixue Zhang, Ruping Zhao and Cong Han
Horticulturae 2024, 10(1), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10010072 - 11 Jan 2024
Viewed by 792
Abstract
The application of wounding stress can induce the accumulation of phenolic antioxidants in carrots. This study aimed to investigate the possible regulation role of invertase (INV) on the biosynthesis of phenolics in wounded carrots. In this study, carrots were cut into two different [...] Read more.
The application of wounding stress can induce the accumulation of phenolic antioxidants in carrots. This study aimed to investigate the possible regulation role of invertase (INV) on the biosynthesis of phenolics in wounded carrots. In this study, carrots were cut into two different wounding intensities of slices and cubes, then stored at 20 °C for 2 days. The results showed that wounding stress caused an obvious increase in phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in carrot tissues, and a positive correlation was observed between the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and the degradation of sucrose. Simultaneously, wounding activated the sucrose-cleaving enzymes of INVs, including acid INV (AI) and neutral INV (NI), and up-regulated the expressions of most encoding genes of INVs. In addition, treatment with INV activators accelerated the accumulation of phenolic antioxidants, while treatment with INV inhibitors suppressed this process, suggesting that the synthesis of phenolic compounds in wounded carrots is closely related to the availability of sugars. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation role of INV on the wound-induced accumulation of phenolic compounds in carrots, which may be helpful in using wounded plants to produce more phenolic antioxidants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Quality Maintaining of Horticultural Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop