Postharvest Biology and Technology最新文献

{"title":"1-Methylcyclopropene alleviates peel greasiness by regulating wax composition and microstructure of ‘Yuluxiang’ pears during storage","authors":"Wanting Yu,&nbsp;Xinnan Zhang,&nbsp;Yang Wang,&nbsp;Xiaonan Sun,&nbsp;Wenhui Wang,&nbsp;Xiaohui Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113486","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113486","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The greasiness of ‘Yuluxiang’ pear rapidly increases following the transition from cold storage to ambient temperature storage, severely affecting the pear fruit’s appearance and commercial value. Therefore, it is important to develop new techniques to inhibit pear greasiness during storage. In this study, ‘Yuluxiang’ pears were subjected to a 24 h of fumigation with 1.0 μL L⁻¹ 1-methylcyclopropene (MCP). Subsequently, the pears were stored at 0 °C for 120 and 180 d, followed by a seven-day storage at 20 °C. Results showed that 1-MCP postponed the onset of peel greasiness. Moreover, it slowed the cracking of the pears’ cuticular wax layer and the exposure of crystal microstructure. At the same time, it inhibited the increase in the contents of (E)<em>-β</em>-famesene, <em>α</em>-farnesene, docosanol, stearic acid and hexadecanoic acid. 1-MCP suppressed the CO₂ and ethylene production rate (EPR) of the pears during the 120 d of cold storage and the subsequent seven-day storage at 20 °C. Correlation analysis found a positive correlation between EPR and the content of ester compounds in the peel wax. Thus, 1-MCP may inhibit the accumulation of wax compounds and EPR, thereby suppressing the occurrence of peel greasiness. Furthermore, molecular analysis showed that 1-MCP suppressed the upregulated expression of <em>PyLACS9</em> and <em>PyFAD2</em> throughout the storage period, and markedly inhibited the upregulated expression of the <em>PyACO2</em> during the ambient temperature storage. Since <em>PyLACS9</em> and <em>PyFAD2</em> play crucial roles in regulating the extension and degradation pathways of fatty acids, it was suggested that 1-MCP may suppress the accumulation of wax components and the occurrence of greasy peel by inhibiting the up-regulated gene expression of <em>PyACO2</em>, <em>PyLACS9</em> and <em>PyFAD2</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113486"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519566","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":"Methyl jasmonate enhances vase life and alters physiological and molecular responses in tree peony 'Luoyang Hong' cut flowers","authors":"Di He ,&nbsp;Shuiyan Yu ,&nbsp;Liuqing Qu ,&nbsp;Yehua Yang ,&nbsp;Jianrang Luo ,&nbsp;Yanlong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vase life of tree peony cut flower is very limited, the extension of cut flower opening process is an effective way to prolong vase life. The present study was carried out to observe the morphological characteristics of cut flowers during vase insertion by treating with 10 μmol L⁻¹ methyl jasmonate (MeJA), using a representative variety of tree peony cut flower ‘Luoyang Hong’ as the material. Changes in osmoregulatory substances, antioxidant enzyme activities, antioxidant and reactive oxygen species content, and endogenous hormone content were measured, and the expression patterns of genes related to ethylene, abscisic acid synthesis and signalling pathways, and the senescence marker gene <em>SAG12</em> were analysed by qRT-PCR. The results showed that exogenous MeJA could delay the opening process of tree peony ‘Luoyang Hong’ cut flowers, increase the fresh weight of cut flowers and reduce the flower diameter; Increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, increased osmoregulatory substances such as soluble sugars and soluble proteins, increased glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (AsA), total phenolics and total flavonoids, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA), H₂O₂ and O₂^-contents, and decreased endogenous ethylene precursor ACC and abscisic acid (ABA) content; Down-regulated the expression of ethylene synthesis gene <em>PsACS</em>, <em>PsACO</em> and ethylene signalling genes <em>PsETR1</em>, <em>PsEIN3</em> and <em>PsERF1</em>, as well as down-regulated the expression of ABA signalling <em>PsPYL8</em>, <em>PsPYR1</em> and <em>PsABF2</em> genes. These results indicate that 10 μmol L⁻¹ MeJA can effectively delay the senescence of ‘Luoyang Hong’ and prolong the bottle insertion time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113481"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511706","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":"Bacillus subtilis volatile organic compounds inhibit the cutinase gene expression of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides resulting in the control of postharvest fruit anthracnose","authors":"Junjie Liu,&nbsp;Pengyu Zhao,&nbsp;Lisha Yang,&nbsp;Sibao Wan,&nbsp;Zhen Qin,&nbsp;Haiyan Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113482","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113482","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</em> is a commonly occurring fungal pathogen that causes anthracnose in postharvest fruit and vegetables, significantly reducing the quality and shelf life of fresh produce. <em>Bacillus subtilis,</em> an important biocontrol bacterium, can secrete volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that inhibit <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> infection. In this study, the process of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> infection of longan (<em>Dimocarpus longan</em> Lour.) and the inhibition of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> infection of longan by <em>B. subtilis</em> CF-3 VOCs were studied. The differentially expressed genes of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> were analyzed using transcriptomics. Results showed that <em>B. subtilis</em> CF-3 VOCs could decrease the expression levels of genes related to nitrogen source utilization, environmental tolerance and invasiveness in <em>C. gloeosporioides</em>, thereby reducing the pathogen’s infection ability. One of the affected genes was <em>cutA</em>, which was predicted to be a cutinase gene, associated with the pathogenicity of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em>. The deletion of gene <em>cutA</em> could, thus, decrease the pathogenicity of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> during its infection of longan, mango and loquat. This study verified a mechanism through <em>B. subtilis</em> CF-3 VOCs decrease the pathogenicity of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em>, which helps to understand the biocontrol mechanism of <em>B. subtilis</em> CF-3 and highlight its potential application in postharvest agricultural product protection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113482"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143512341","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":"The role of chicory furaneol in reducing potato browning: Inhibiting polyphenol oxidase activity and enhancing antioxidant capacity","authors":"Xiaoyong Chang,&nbsp;Qingguo Wang,&nbsp;Tiantian Dong,&nbsp;Yanyan Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113484","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113484","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using safe browning inhibitors is an important strategy for preventing enzymatic browning of fresh-cut produce. This research first compared the inhibitory capacity of eight food-derived furan compounds on polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and investigated the anti-browning effect of the selected compound on fresh-cut potatoes. Then, the underlying mechanism of its browning inhibition was further explored. The results indicated among the eight furan compounds, chicory furaneol, naturally existing in fruit and vegetables, exhibited strong inhibitory effects on PPO. At 4 °C, treatments with 4.5 and 9 mM chicory furaneol extended the shelf life of fresh-cut potato chips to over 10 d, compared to less than 1 d for the control. The chips treated with chicory furaneol had a slight caramel odor, which was acceptable in sensory evaluation and dissipated quickly during heating. Kinetics analysis indicated that chicory furaneol was a mixed-type PPO inhibitor, with a stronger affinity for the free enzyme. Copper ion chelation experiments and molecular docking simulations demonstrated that chicory furaneol chelated the copper ions in the active center of PPO and interacted with various amino acid residues. Antioxidant experiments revealed that chicory furaneol possessed strong antioxidant capabilities and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of potato pulps. Correlation analysis showed that the browning inhibition of chicory furaneol was primarily achieved through the inhibition of PPO activity and the enhancement of antioxidant capacity. This study provides a potential safe browning inhibitor for solving the browning issues of fresh-cut potatoes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113484"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510062","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":"Jasmonate activates PuMYC2 and decreases histone acetylation levels to inhibit the ester aroma catabolism in cold-stored Nanguo pears fruit","authors":"Liyong Qi ,&nbsp;Nannan Zang ,&nbsp;Juntong Jin ,&nbsp;Weiting Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaojing Li ,&nbsp;Yueming Yang ,&nbsp;Baofeng Wang ,&nbsp;Zepeng Yin ,&nbsp;Aide Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanguo pear (<em>Pyrus ussuriensis</em>) is characterized by an intense fruit aroma, which is primarily attributed to volatile ester compounds. It has a short storage period at room temperature, and cold storage is often used in production to extend the storage period of the fruit. However, it leads to a significant decline in volatile ester compounds, which diminishes the aroma and reduces the commercial appeal of the fruit. In this study, we found that methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment significantly increased ester aroma synthesis and upregulated the expression of <em>PuMYC2</em>, which codes for a transcription factor involved in the JA signaling pathway in cold-stored Nanguo pear furits. Additionally, we observed a decrease in the expression of <em>PuCXE15</em>, a key gene responsible for ester aroma catabolism in MeJA+Cold fruits compared with cold fruits. We further found that PuMYC2 directly binds to the promoter of <em>PuCXE15</em> and suppresses its transcriptional activity. Furthermore, MeJA treatment reduced histone acetylation levels of <em>PuCXE15</em> promoter that inhibited <em>PuCXE15</em> transcription and increased ester volatile compound levels in cold-stored Nanguo pears. Altogether, this study revealed that MeJA inhibits aroma degradation in cold-stored Nanguo pears through transcription regulation and epigenetic mechanisms, thereby provides a foundational understanding for improvement of fruit aroma quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113466"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510068","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":"Pichia kudriavzevii inhibits the growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides through 2-PE targeting cell membrane","authors":"Min Zhang ,&nbsp;Ying Yang ,&nbsp;Xingrong Zhang ,&nbsp;Maorun Fu ,&nbsp;Hui Xu ,&nbsp;Cuihong Zhang ,&nbsp;Yanhong Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113485","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113485","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthracnose is a major post-harvest disease affecting fruit and vegetables, causing losses due to fruit rot and decreased marketability, and the annual loss caused by anthracnose is at least within tens of billions of dollars in the world. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of <em>Pichia kudriavzevii</em> against <em>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</em>. The substances in the fermentation solution were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the bacteriostatic experiments <em>in vitro</em> were carried out to determine 2-phenylethanol (2-PE) as the main inhibitory compound. <em>In vitro</em> assays demonstrated that 2-PE exerted inhibitory effects on colony growth, spore germination, germ tube elongation, and hyphal density. With the increase of 2-PE concentration, the inhibitory effect on <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> became stronger. When the concentration of 2-PE reached 1.50 g/L, the colony growth of <em>C. gloeosporioides</em> could be completely inhibited. Membrane-targeting assays revealed that 2-PE disrupted fungal cell membrane integrity. Transcriptomic analysis showed downregulation of genes involved in membrane synthesis (e.g., lanosterol synthase, CGGC5_1542) and genetic material synthesis (e.g., 60S ribonucleoprotein, CGGC5_9394). <em>In vivo</em> experiments confirmed that the lesion diameter of tomato and citrus anthracnose after 1.50 g/L 2-PE treatment was reduced by 69 % and 87 % compared with the control group. These findings highlight the potential of 2-PE as a natural antifungal agent targeting fungal membrane integrity and genetic material synthesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113485"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510063","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":"Metabolomic profiling unveils metabolites that are co-regulated by the tomato fruit ripening and the cold stress response","authors":"Pan Shu ,&nbsp;Jiping Sheng ,&nbsp;Yuan Qing ,&nbsp;Lin Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113473","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113473","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between fruit maturity and cold resistance has been established. Nevertheless, the differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in fruit of different maturities under different temperature conditions have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, DAMs in fruit of different maturities under different temperature conditions mainly consisted of phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and nucleic acids and their derivatives. Compared with the DAMs produced during natural ripening, the post-ripening and senescence processes were found to give rise to additional phenylpropanoid substances. Moreover, among the DAMs co-upregulated during natural ripening, post-ripening, and senescence, one alkaloid (caffeine) and two flavonoids (2,3-dihydro-2-phenyl-4H-benzopyran-4-one, cyanoglucose-3-rutinoside) were identified. For mature-green fruits, the DAMs induced by low temperature were mainly enriched in nucleotide metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, galactose metabolism, and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways. Regarding ripening red fruit, the DAMs induced by low temperature were predominantly enriched in nucleotide metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis. Notably, 1-Caffeoylquinic acid showed an up-regulation pattern in both mature-green and ripening red fruit under the influence of low temperature, while caffeine was down-regulated at both stages. Intriguingly, regardless of whether the fruit were at the mature-green stage or the ripening red stage, the low-temperature induced up-regulation of metabolites did not overlap with room-temperature induced up-regulation of metabolites. However, low-temperature induced up-regulation of metabolites intersected with the metabolites down-regulated under normal temperature, suggesting a complex and potentially antagonistic regulatory relationship between the normal and low-temperature metabolic responses in tomato fruit. These results indicate that 1-Caffeoylquinic acid and Caffeine may be key metabolites involved in fruit ripening, aging, and response to low-temperature stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113473"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143512346","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":"Fruit quality, antioxidant components and gene expression in different Rubus species during fruit development","authors":"Shanshan Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhengjin Huang ,&nbsp;Yaqiong Wu ,&nbsp;Chunhong Zhang ,&nbsp;Haiyan Yang ,&nbsp;Xin Huang ,&nbsp;Wenlong Wu ,&nbsp;Lianfei Lyu ,&nbsp;Fuliang Cao ,&nbsp;Weilin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Rubus</em> fruits are rich in various nutrients that exhibit strong antioxidant activity and are medicinally valuable. In this study, we measured the fruit quality and antioxidant content of <em>Rubus hirsutus</em>, <em>Rubus chingii</em> and <em>Rubus idaeus</em> at different preharvest and postharvest stages, as well as antioxidant enzymes that encode gene expression. Based on the results, postharvest <em>R. hirsutus</em> fruit contains high contents of sugar and acid, and <em>R. chingii</em> exhibits a strong antioxidant capacity and can be used as an important source for extracting antioxidant substances. The correlation between antioxidants and their related genes varies among different species of <em>Rubus</em>. The SOD activity of <em>R. idaeus</em> was significantly negatively correlated with <em>RuSOD2</em> and <em>RuSODCP.2</em>. There was a positive correlation between POD activity and related genes in <em>R. hirsutus.</em> The POD activity of <em>R. idaeus</em> was negatively correlated with <em>RuPOD</em>, <em>RuPER25</em> and <em>RuPROX6</em>, but positively correlated with <em>RuPER17.</em> This study provides a reference for future studies on the quality, antioxidant extraction, and regulatory mechanisms of <em>Rubus</em> fruits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113456"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510061","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":"Breath of the chill: Transcriptomic exploration of respiration and energy metabolism in sweet potato roots during cold storage","authors":"Wanying Ge,&nbsp;Qian Zhou,&nbsp;Zhuohui Meng,&nbsp;Jihui Gao,&nbsp;Gang Chen,&nbsp;Yongxin Li,&nbsp;Huqing Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113483","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113483","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chilling injury (CI) significantly affects the postharvest storage of sweet potato (<em>Ipomoea batatas</em> Lam.), leading to quality deterioration and substantial economic losses. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular basis of CI with a focus on respiration and energy metabolism under cold storage. Physiological and enzymatic analyses revealed disruptions in energy homeostasis and metabolic adjustments, including altered activities of respiratory enzymes and increased reliance on alternative respiration pathway. RNA-seq analysis identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in key metabolic pathways, including mitochondrial respiration, photosynthesis suppression, and proteasome-mediated protein turnover. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) highlighted transcriptional networks and hub genes, including aquaporin PIP2–7, anther specific proteins, VQ protein, and a NF-YB transcription factor, associated with CI progression. These data provide promising targets for developing molecular strategies to improve cold tolerance, thereby extending the shelf life of sweet potatoes and minimizing postharvest losses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113483"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487810","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":"EjNAC25, a NAC transcription factor in early-maturing seedless triploid loquat, promotes sugar and malic acid accumulation by activating EjNI and EjtDT2","authors":"Zhuoheng Chi ,&nbsp;Maoling Zhao ,&nbsp;Luwei Wang ,&nbsp;Qiankun Hu ,&nbsp;Shuming Wang ,&nbsp;Qigao Guo ,&nbsp;Danlong Jing ,&nbsp;Guolu Liang ,&nbsp;Yan Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113474","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113474","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Taste is an important fruit quality trait in commercial fruits and is influenced by transcriptional regulation. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) play crucial roles in fruit ripening. However, the regulatory mechanism of NAC TF on taste formation in loquat fruit remains unclear. Here, we identified a NAC TF, <em>EjNAC25</em>, which is highly expressed in mature loquat fruits and closely related to sugar and malic acid content. After isolation of <em>EjNAC25</em> from early-maturing seedless triploid loquat, transient transformation in loquat and stable overexpression in tomato were performed. The result showed that <em>EjNAC25</em> positively regulated the accumulation of sugar and malic acid. Dual-luciferase assays and yeast one-hybrid experiments showed that EjNAC25 could directly bind to the promoter regions of the neutral invertase gene <em>EjNI</em> and the tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter <em>EjtDT2</em>, thereby activating their transcription. Furthermore, overexpression of <em>EjNI</em> increased the activity of neutral invertase, which enhanced the conversion of sucrose to fructose and glucose. Overexpression of <em>EjtDT2</em> promoted the accumulation of malic acid. In summary, our study revealed that EjNAC25 positively regulates sugar and malic acid content by activating <em>EjNI</em> and <em>EjtDT2</em> in loquat. This study provides a theoretical basis for regulatory mechanisms of NAC TF on fruit taste and contributes to the future improvement of loquat fruit quality through biotechnology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 113474"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510060","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}