Effect of postharvest silicon application on phenolic content and antioxidant activity of apricot (prunus armeniaca) fruits

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of silicon (Si) application to increase the pool of phenols and antioxidant activity in apricot (prunus armeniaca var Ghorban-e-Maragheh) fruits stored at 0°C for 35 days. Exogenous Si (5 g/L) pre-treatment significantly decreased fruit mass loss (%) and decay of fruit compared with the control. Postharvest Si application raised phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity and total phenolic, reduced hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content because of an enhancement of catalase activity, and led to increase the fruits ability to better withstand stressful cold impacts. Therefore, Si may be recommended for increasing storage life and maintaining fruit quality.