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Recent Advances in Biological and Technological Research of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Volume II)

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2024 | Viewed by 2278

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zhongqi Fan

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Guest Editor

Institute of Postharvest Technology of Agricultural Products, College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: postharvest biology; preservation of fruit and vegetable
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a dietary source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, but, due to their short postharvest life, a large portion of the produce is lost. It is therefore necessary to investigate the biological changes underlying ripening and senescence and find ways to control the perishability of fresh fruit and vegetables, thereby increasing their shelf life. The basic science of the ripening and senescence of these foods has progressed rapidly in recent years, largely due to a series of breakthrough discoveries that have uncovered some of the key factors and signaling pathways by which ripening- and senescence-associated genes are set into motion. On the other hand, advanced postharvest technologies, including chemical treatment, physical methods, and biotechnology, have been widely applied to minimize postharvest loss and maintain commercial quality. The aim of this Special Issue is to gather pioneering research on biological mechanisms and preservation technology of fresh fruit and vegetables. All aspects of postharvest research throughout the supply chain will be considered, such as technologies, underpinning mechanisms, and quality evaluation.

Dr. Zhongqi Fan
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. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

fruit and vegetable
quality deterioration
biological mechanism
physiology disorder
preservation technology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

6-BA Delays the Senescence of Postharvest Cabbage Leaves by Inhibiting Respiratory Metabolism

by Cimei Wang, Yingying Yang, Jieting Yu, Zongli Liu, Wei Wei, Jianye Chen, Jianhua Zhu and Riming Huang

Foods 2024, 13(11), 1607; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13111607 - 22 May 2024

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Abstract

6-BA, a small molecule compound of cytokinins, has been proven to delay leaf senescence in different species, including Chinese flowering cabbage; however, its specific mechanism remains relatively unknown. In this study, the application of external 6-BA delayed leaf senescence in Chinese flowering cabbage, showing that 6-BA effectively prevented the decrease in the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and overall chlorophyll content and suppressed the expression of the senescence-associated gene BrSAG12 over a 7-day period of storage. Moreover, treatment with 6-BA decreased the respiratory rate, NAD(H) content, the activities of hexose phosphate isomerase (PHI), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome c oxidase (CCO), and ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the transcriptional abundance of related genes by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, 6-BA also increased the activity and expression levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphate gluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGDH). The group treated with 6-BA retained elevated levels of NADP (H), ATP, total ATPase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase (NADK) activity, as well as the expression of respiratory enzymes. Molecular docking indicated that 6-BA hinders the glycolysis pathway (EMP), tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), and cytochrome pathway (CCP), and sustains elevated levels of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) through interactions with the PHI, SDH, 6-PGDH, G6PDH, CCO, and AAO proteins, consequently delaying postharvest leaf senescence in Chinese flowering cabbage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biological and Technological Research of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Volume II))

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14 pages, 2757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acidic Electrolyzed Water Maintains the Storage Quality of Postharvest Wampee Fruit by Activating the Disease Resistance

by Yuzhao Lin, Hongbin Chen, Sisi Dong, Yazhen Chen, Xuanjing Jiang and Yihui Chen

Foods 2024, 13(10), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13101556 - 16 May 2024

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Abstract

Harvested wampee fruit is susceptible to disease, resulting in postharvest losses. Acidic electrolyzed water (AEW), a safe and innovative sterilization technology, plays a role in enhancing disease resistance in harvested produce. In this study, the efficacy of AEW in delaying wampee disease development was assessed, along with its association with disease resistance metabolism. Wampee fruit was treated with AEW (pH 2.5) at different available chlorine concentrations (ACCs) (20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/L) and subsequently stored at 25 °C for 8 days. Results revealed that 40 mg/L ACC in AEW (pH 2.5) was most effective in improving the postharvest quality of wampee fruit. Compared with control wampee fruit, those treated with 40 mg/L ACC in AEW exhibited lower incidence of fruit disease, higher pericarp lignin content, and higher activities of pericarp disease resistance enzymes (DREs), such as cinnamate-4-hydroxylase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, polyphenol oxidase, 4-coumarate CoA ligase, and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase. These results suggested that AEW elevated DRE activities, promoted lignin accumulation, and ultimately enhanced disease resistance, suppressed disease development, and improved storage quality in harvested wampee fruit. Consequently, AEW emerged as a safe technology to mitigate the disease development and enhance the storage quality of harvested wampee fruit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biological and Technological Research of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Volume II))

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15 pages, 5871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Inhibitory Effect and Potential Antagonistic Mechanism of Isolated Epiphytic Yeasts against Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata in Postharvest Blueberry Fruits

by Jia Li, Ting Yang, Furong Yuan, Xinyue Lv and Yahan Zhou

Foods 2024, 13(9), 1334; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13091334 - 26 Apr 2024

Viewed by 570

Abstract

This study evaluated the biocontrol effect of isolated epiphytic yeasts (Papiliotrema terrestris, Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Rhodosporidium glutinis) against Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata in blueberry fruits and its possible mechanisms. Our findings indicated that the three tested yeasts exerted a good biocontrol effect on postharvest diseases in blueberry, and that H. uvarum was the most effective. In addition, the three tested yeasts could improve the postharvest storage quality of blueberry fruits to some extent. H. uvarum demonstrated the strongest direct inhibitory effect on pathogens by suppressing spore germination, mycelial growth, and antifungal volatile organic compound (VOC) production. P. terrestris showed the highest extracellular lytic enzymes activities. It also had better adaptation to low temperature in fruit wounds at 4 °C. The biofilm formation capacity was suggested to be the main action mechanism of R. glutinis, which rapidly colonized fruit wounds at 20 °C. Several action mechanisms are employed by the superb biocontrol yeasts, while yeast strains possess distinctive characteristics and have substantially different action mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biological and Technological Research of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Volume II))

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Review

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21 pages, 1558 KiB

Open AccessReview

Advances in the Understanding of Postharvest Physiological Changes and the Storage and Preservation of Pitaya

by Xiaogang Wang, Jianye Chen, Donglan Luo and Liangjie Ba

Foods 2024, 13(9), 1307; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13091307 - 24 Apr 2024

Viewed by 715

Abstract

Highly prized for its unique taste and appearance, pitaya is a tasty, low-calorie fruit. It has a high-water content, a high metabolism, and a high susceptibility to pathogens, resulting in an irreversible process of tissue degeneration or quality degradation and eventual loss of commercial value, leading to economic loss. High quality fruits are a key guarantee for the healthy development of economic advantages. However, the understanding of postharvest conservation technology and the regulation of maturation, and senescence of pitaya are lacking. To better understand the means of postharvest storage of pitaya, extend the shelf life of pitaya fruit and prospect the postharvest storage technology, this paper analyzes and compares the postharvest quality changes of pitaya fruit, preservation technology, and senescence regulation mechanisms. This study provides research directions for the development of postharvest storage and preservation technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biological and Technological Research of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Volume II))

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