Albizia [Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth.] tree gum coating delays softening of persimmons by maintaining antioxidant system and delaying cell wall polysaccharides disassembly

Abstract

‘Fuyu’ is one of the major persimmon fruit cultivars which is widely admired due to its non-astringent nature. However, it is highly susceptible to rapid softening and quality deterioration during postharvest storage, primarily due to enhanced respiratory activity and degradation of cell wall components. This study evaluated the effect of albizia gum-based edible coating (4.5 % w/v) on the postharvest quality of persimmons stored at 20 ± 1 °C for 20 d. The results showed that albizia coating reduced weight loss, suppressed respiration rate and ethylene production, and reduced membrane permeability, as indicated by lower membrane leakage, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde content. In addition, coated fruit showed substantially higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), showing improved oxidative stress mitigation. Albizia gum coating also reduced the activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes, including polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase (CS), and pectin methylesterase (PME), thereby preserving higher firmness. The coated fruit exhibited lower water-soluble pectin (WSP) and retained higher cellulose, hemicellulose, and protopectin content. The fruit coated with albizia coating also showed better biochemical and sensory attributes. These results suggest that albizia gum coating delays postharvest softening through a multifaceted mechanism involving modulation of respiratory metabolism, preserving antioxidant system activity, and suppression of cell wall disassembly. So, albizia gum coating could be applied to retard postharvest softening of persimmon during postharvest storage.