Yanyan Ma , Ranran Xu , Yubei Wang , Guogang Chen , Jiankang Cao
{"title":"Methyl jasmonate enhances anthocyanin biosynthesis and antioxidant capacity in ‘Hongcui’ plum fruit during cold-induced flesh reddening via the coordination of ethylene and jasmonic acid signaling","authors":"Yanyan Ma , Ranran Xu , Yubei Wang , Guogang Chen , Jiankang Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>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-<em>O</em>-glucosyltransferase (UFGT). Gene enrichment analysis revealed an overall up-regulation trend of gene transcription associated with <em>PsPAL</em>, <em>PsDFR</em>, <em>PsANS</em>, <em>PsUFGT</em>, <em>PsACS</em>, and <em>PsACO</em>, 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-<em>O</em>-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-<em>O</em>-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.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114159"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"BABA receptor PpIBI1 integrates early PTI and late SAR responses to boost resistance in postharvest peach fruit","authors":"Chunhong Li , Minghua Zhou , Qing Peng , Huaping Xu , Yijia Xia , Fei Xiang , Kaituo Wang , Yonghua Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>β-Aminobutyric acid (BABA) is widely recognized for priming broad-spectrum disease resistance in fruit crops, yet its receptor in fruit tissues remains largely unidentified. In this study, we identify the AspRS homolog PpIBI1 as a functional BABA receptor in peach fruit that transduces the initial perception signal into two temporally distinct defense modules. Upon BABA treatment, PpIBI1 is recruited to the pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) co-receptor PpBAK1, triggering activation of the PpRac1/2–PpRBOHD/F component and a rapid burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-a hallmark of early pattern-triggered immunity (PTI)-like responses. Meanwhile, nuclear interaction between PpIBI1 and PpTCP2 enhances the transcription of salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis genes, leading to systemic acquired resistance (SAR) activation. Molecular evidence from overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout confirms that PpIBI1 exerts a dual function by mediating the early ROS burst and later activating the SA-dependent defense. Collectively, these findings outline a sequential pathway in which PpIBI1 activates PpBAK1 to initiate a PTI-related ROS burst, followed by nuclear interaction with PpTCP2 to induce SA-dependent SAR. This pathway integrates local and systemic immunity in postharvest peach fruit and highlights PpIBI1 as a key target for postharvest disease control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114067"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spatio-temporal monitoring of maturation, ripening, and fungal rot development in “Hass” avocados using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging","authors":"Takahiro Matsui , Guylaine Collewet , Kento Koyama , Maja Musse","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maturity, ripeness, and fungal rot are key quality attributes of avocados that interact to determine consumer acceptance, market value, and postharvest losses. We applied quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to simultaneously and non-invasively assess these three internal attributes. Healthy, fungal-inoculated, and naturally infected “Hass” avocados were ripened under controlled conditions and scanned with a 1.5 T whole-body system to generate transverse relaxation time (T<sub>2</sub>) maps, lipid fraction maps, apparent micro-porosity maps, and vascular structure images. Linear regression between lipid fraction and dry matter content yielded a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 2.8 %, indicating that MRI can reliably assess fruit maturity. In contrast, neither T<sub>2</sub>, apparent micro-porosity, nor lipid fraction values captured changes in mesocarp firmness during ripening. In infected tissue, T<sub>2</sub> initially increased and subsequently decreased, whereas apparent micro-porosity increased at later stages. Elevated T<sub>2</sub> values delineated lesion peripheries before visible pulp discoloration or histological damage occurred. Furthermore, serial MRI monitoring from unripe to overripe stages enabled tracking of fungal development within individual fruit, revealing distinct morphological patterns: stem-end rots advanced longitudinally along vascular bundles, whereas body rots spread radially through parenchyma. These findings demonstrate that MRI is a suitable tool for postharvest quality monitoring and for studying fruit–pathogen interactions in avocados and other fleshy fruit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114157"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Control efficiency and potential mechanisms of 2,3-butanedione against potato leak caused by Pythium ultimum","authors":"Hui Feng , Jingtao Shi , Donglin Zhao , Zhixin Peng , Fuqiang Guo , Chengsheng Zhang , Chong Shi , Kangwen Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pythium ultimum</em> is the principal postharvest pathogen responsible for Pythium leak disease in potatoes, causing significant yield losses during storage. 2,3-Butanedione is a naturally derived flavor compound, whose efficacy in controlling oomycete-induced postharvest diseases remains unclear. This study revealed that 2,3-butanedione inhibits <em>P</em>. <em>ultimum</em> mycelial growth (EC<sub>50</sub> = 9.35 μL·L⁻¹) and reduces potato leak severity by 67.92 % at 2 ×EC<sub>50</sub>. Moreover, it exhibits broad-spectrum anti-oomycete activity by decreasing the susceptibility of pepper and eggplant to <em>Phytophthora capsici</em> and <em>P</em>. <em>parasitica</em>, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that 2,3-butanedione affects ABC transporters and phospholipids metabolism pathways in <em>P</em>. <em>ultimum</em>. Notably, it suppresses the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a major cell membrane phospholipid, by downregulating genes involved in PC biosynthesis, such as the choline kinase gene <em>PuCKI1</em>. Molecular docking studies indicated a strong binding affinity between 2,3-butanedione and PuCKI1 (binding free energy = –3.91 kcal/mol), suggesting that the compound’s inhibitory effect on <em>P</em>. <em>ultimum</em> infection may be mediated through reduced PC accumulation, thereby increasing membrane permeability and damaging membrane integrity. Furthermore, the synergistic combination of 2,3-butanedione and mefenoxam (3:1 ratio) significantly reduces potato disease severity by over 59.65 % compared to mefenoxam alone. These findings provide a mechanistic basis and underscore the potential utility of 2,3-butanedione as a complementary agent in managing postharvest oomycete diseases in vegetable crops.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114111"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tian Lan , Shihan Bao , Xinyi Li , Min Zhang , Wen Peng , Mukesh Kumar Awasthi , Xiangyu Sun , Tingting Ma
{"title":"Pigment and transcriptome profiling of flesh yellowing during post-ripening of ‘Puyu’ kiwifruit","authors":"Tian Lan , Shihan Bao , Xinyi Li , Min Zhang , Wen Peng , Mukesh Kumar Awasthi , Xiangyu Sun , Tingting Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study integrated pigment and transcriptome profiling to elucidate the chemical and molecular mechanisms of flesh yellowing in ‘Puyu’ kiwifruit during post-ripening. Results showed that the yellowing was jointly determined by the degradation of chlorophyll and the co-accumulation of carotenoids and flavonoids. During early post-ripening (0–4 DAH), rapid chlorophyll degradation (∼55 %) unmasked pre-existing yellow pigments like lutein. Subsequently, during late post-ripening (6–10 DAH), the active biosynthesis and accumulation of carotenoids and flavonoids further enhanced the yellow coloration. Notably, zeaxanthin was identified as a key yellow carotenoid, and its biosynthesis was associated with the upregulation of <em>AchCHYB</em>. <em>AchXAT/XES</em>-mediated xanthophyll esterification not only prevented pigment loss caused by xanthophyll degradation but also enhanced color stability. For flavonoids, the accumulation of the key yellow pigment naringenin chalcone was related to the upregulation of <em>AchCHS. AchUGT</em>-mediated glycosylation produced co-pigments (e.g., genistein-7-<em>O</em>-galactoside) that contribute to pigment balance. Furthermore, several transcription factors, including NAC, AP2/ERF, MYB, HB and GRAS, were identified as potential regulators of these key structural genes. This work provides new insights into the post-ripening coloration mechanism of yellow-fleshed kiwifruit and offers new ideas for regulating kiwifruit color.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114109"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrated transcriptome and proteome analyses reveal that VvMYB61 and VvNAC29 orchestrate the reprogramming of lignin and flavonoid metabolism during postharvest senescence in grape berries","authors":"Yujia Liu , Yixin Dang , Tong Cheng , Jingwen Li , Mingxin Feng , Jinna Wu , Hefang Xie , Xin Yang , Tengfei Xu , Yulin Fang , Jiangfei Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Postharvest senescence is a complex biological process that occurs after plant tissues and organs are detached from the mother plant. As an economically important horticultural crop, the senescence of grape berries is closely associated with fruit quality and market value. In this study, integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were conducted to elucidate key metabolic changes during the postharvest senescence of ‘Red Globe’ grape berries. The results showed that genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis were markedly downregulated, whereas the lignin biosynthetic pathway was activated, competing with the flavonoid pathway for the shared precursor p-coumaroyl-CoA. Correlation analysis identified VvMYB61 and VvNAC29 as candidate core regulators. Yeast one-hybrid and related assays demonstrated that VvMYB61 and VvNAC29 directly bind to the promoter of the lignin biosynthetic gene <em>VvPRX19</em> and activate its transcription, while VvMYB61 also directly binds to the promoter of the flavonoid biosynthetic gene <em>VvCHS27</em> and represses its expression. Moreover, both stable and transient transgenic assays revealed that VvMYB61 and VvNAC29 promote lignin accumulation while suppressing flavonoid synthesis. Collectively, these findings establish VvMYB61 and VvNAC29 as key regulators of lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis during grape postharvest senescence, mediating a metabolic reprogramming that redirects carbon flux from flavonoid toward lignin biosynthesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114122"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yizhi Zhang , Zhonglei Cai , Sijie Zhou , Junyi Zhang , Hailiang Zhang , Jiangbo Li
{"title":"Detection of early decay in dynamic oranges by structured-illumination reflectance imaging combined with Hough gradient method and YOLO v10 model","authors":"Yizhi Zhang , Zhonglei Cai , Sijie Zhou , Junyi Zhang , Hailiang Zhang , Jiangbo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2026.114177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early decay induced by fungal infections in citrus fruit can lead to severe economic losses. In order to detect early decayed oranges in a moving state, this study proposed a new methodology based on structured illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI), which uses a fixed phase stripe pattern for illumination and introduces phase shift into the obtained pattern images through sample motion. The Hough gradient method was used to align the regions of interest in acquired pattern images. The direct component (DC) and alternating component (AC) images were recovered by using the 2-phase spiral phase transition (SPT) demodulation algorithm. At a speed of 100 mm/s, the combination of AC images and YOLO v10 achieved the highest classification accuracy, which was over 97 %. This study indicated that the proposed methodology provided a valuable reference to the online detection of early decayed oranges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114177"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phenylalanine enhances phenylpropanoid metabolism, inhibits fruit softening and alleviates chilling injury in tomato fruit during cold storage","authors":"Yudong Liu , Wei Deng , Ke Cao , Zhengguo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cold storage is widely used to minimize postharvest losses in horticultural crops, but tomatoes are vulnerable to chilling injury at low temperatures. This study demonstrated that applying phenylalanine (Phe) effectively mitigated chilling injury and inhibited fruit softening in tomatoes during cold storage. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses indicated that Phe treatment elevated the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase, thereby enhancing phenylpropanoid metabolism. Elevated levels of various flavonoids and ascorbic acid reinforced the free radical scavenging capacity of cold-stored fruit. Phe also promoted the activity of multiple antioxidant enzymes and reduced oxidative damage. Furthermore, Phe treatment inhibited the enzymatic activity of pectate lyase, β-galactosidase, and cellulase, as well as suppressed pectin and cellulose degradation, thereby postponing fruit softening. Phytohormone analysis revealed that Phe treatment increased melatonin levels and modulated the expression of genes associated with various hormone signalings. Correlation analysis showed that <em>CNR</em> and <em>SlGRAS10</em> are likely the core transcription factors involved in Phe-regulated tomato fruit softening and cold tolerance, which are closely associated with cell wall metabolism and <em>CBF</em> genes. This study elucidated the comprehensive regulatory effects of phenylalanine on the postharvest preservation of tomato fruit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114089"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145616977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiao Yuan , Yuanyuan Jiang , Yukun Wang , Yunna Zhu , Liangjie Ba , Bin Wang
{"title":"Melatonin treatment induces glycoside accumulation to confer chilling tolerance in cucumber fruit during cold storage","authors":"Xiao Yuan , Yuanyuan Jiang , Yukun Wang , Yunna Zhu , Liangjie Ba , Bin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cucumber fruit is highly susceptible to chilling injury (CI) during cold storage. In this study, postharvest cucumber fruit was treated with melatonin (MT) prior to cold storage. We found that MT treatment significantly reduced CI development and maintained high total soluble solids content throughout cold storage. Metabolomics data indicated that MT treatment significantly altered the metabolite profiles in cold-stored cucumber fruit. Specifically, the contents of 11 sugar-related metabolites were significantly higher in MT-treated fruit compared to the control at both 6 d and 12 d of cold storage. Of these, 8 were glycosides, such as n-propyl β-lactoside, (4S)-α-terpineol 8-O-β-<span>D</span>-glucopyranoside, limonin 17-β-<span>D</span>-glucopyranoside and kankanoside P, suggesting that MT treatment promotes sugar accumulation, particularly of glycosides. Transcriptomic data revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) upregulated by MT treatment were highly associated with sugar biosynthesis or metabolism pathways, as well as various types of glycan biosynthesis pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and gene set enrichment analysis further confirmed the overall upregulation of DEGs in glycan biosynthesis pathway by MT treatment. A joint analysis combining metabolome and transcriptome data showed high correlations between MT-modulated metabolites and DEGs in glycan biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that MT treatment significantly upregulated the expression of 6 representative genes involved in glycan biosynthesis. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that MT treatment induces chilling tolerance in cucumber fruit during cold storage, likely by promoting glycoside accumulation and inducing glycosidation. The accumulated glycosides would maintain osmotic equilibrium across cell membranes or enhance the biological activities of various molecules, thereby bolstering resistance to cold stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114134"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145786647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}