Postharvest Biology and Technology最新文献

{"title":"A novel mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α subunit gene links carbon flow and redox signaling to enhance postharvest disease resistance in strawberry","authors":"Yun Xiao ,&nbsp;Zhenbiao Li ,&nbsp;Jing Huang ,&nbsp;Jiali Wang ,&nbsp;Tianyou Hou ,&nbsp;Zisheng Luo ,&nbsp;Yanqun Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitochondria play a central role in plant metabolism and signaling regulation by controlling carbon flux, energy conversion, and redox homeostasis. However, their functional mechanisms in plant immunity, particularly fruit disease resistance, remain unclear. Using strawberry <em>(Fragaria × ananassa</em>) as a model, this study identified mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α subunit encoding genes and functionally validated <em>FaPDHE1α</em>. The gene was rapidly induced (10-fold) by <em>Botrytis cinerea</em> infection and localized to mitochondria. Functional assays showed that <em>FaPDHE1α</em> overexpression markedly enhanced fruit resistance, whereas RNAi silencing increased susceptibility. Mechanistic analyses revealed that <em>FaPDHE1α</em> activation boosted glycolysis and the TCA cycle and strongly upregulated mitochondrial complex I genes nad3, nad6, and nad7 (47.1-, 23.3-, and 8.5-fold), thereby enhancing electron transport and establishing a controlled ROS signaling state that activated antioxidant and defense-related pathways. This study reveals a novel mechanism of mitochondrial-mediated fruit immunity regulation and provides a theoretical basis for physiological interventions against postharvest diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114099"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681790","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 transcriptional regulatory module MdERF2-MdSCR11 promotes ABA-mediated apple fruit ripening through synergistic repression of MdABA4-2","authors":"Miaomiao Wang ,&nbsp;Qizhe Li ,&nbsp;Hao Wang ,&nbsp;Nan Jiang ,&nbsp;Jiale Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaotong Hu ,&nbsp;Yu Liu ,&nbsp;Tuanhui Bai ,&nbsp;Jian Jiao ,&nbsp;JiangLi Shi ,&nbsp;Ran Wan ,&nbsp;Kunxi Zhang ,&nbsp;Pengbo Hao ,&nbsp;Yujie Zhao ,&nbsp;Wanyu Xu ,&nbsp;Liu Cong ,&nbsp;Xianbo Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in regulating the ripening processes of both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, including apple (<em>Malus domestica</em>). However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, exogenous ABA treatment markedly enhanced ethylene production, decreased fruit firmness, and accelerated ripening in ‘Red Delicious’ apples. Intriguingly, exogenous ethylene increased endogenous ABA levels and biosynthetic enzyme activities in ‘Golden Delicious’ fruit, whereas 1-MCP treatment suppressed ABA accumulation and delayed ripening. Subsequently, we identified two ABA-responsive transcription factors, MdERF2 and MdSCR11, that directly trans-repress the promoter of <em>MdABA4–2</em>, which shows a negative correlation with ABA accumulation. Notably, MdSCR11 physically interacts with MdERF2 and synergistically represses <em>MdABA4–2</em> transcriptional activity. Furthermore, transient overexpression of <em>MdABA4–2</em> in apple fruit significantly reduced ABA content and ethylene production, delaying ripening, whereas <em>MdSCR11</em> overexpression suppressed <em>MdABA4–2</em> expression and accelerated ripening. Finally, complementary evidence from transgenic calli confirmed that <em>MdABA4–2</em> negatively regulates ABA biosynthesis while <em>MdSCR11</em> positively modulates ABA accumulation through <em>MdABA4–2</em> suppression. Our findings establish a novel transcriptional regulatory module wherein ABA promotes apple fruit ripening through MdERF2-MdSCR11-mediated repression of <em>MdABA4–2</em>, providing mechanistic insights into hormone crosstalk during climacteric fruit maturation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114105"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681909","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":"A generic scientific machine learning framework for fruit and vegetable quality prediction","authors":"Xuezhen Guo ,&nbsp;Charlotte J. Harbers ,&nbsp;Hannelore E.J.M. Heuer ,&nbsp;Qianxixi Min ,&nbsp;Ying Liu ,&nbsp;Ernst J. Woltering ,&nbsp;Leo F.M. Marcelis ,&nbsp;Ruud G.M. van der Sman","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurately predicting the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables (F&amp;V) is a critical challenge for supply chain management and consumer satisfaction. Traditional knowledge-driven kinetic models have good interpretability but often struggle to account for diverse pre-storage and environmental factors, particularly for users without experience in kinetic modeling. In contrast, purely data-driven approaches, such as neural networks, require large datasets and are unable to leverage domain knowledge to improve data efficiency. In this study, we propose a conceptual framework for Scientific Machine Learning (SciML) that integrates domain knowledge with data-driven neural networks, providing a hybrid approach for F&amp;V quality prediction. A decision tree is included to guide model selection based on dataset characteristics, the availability of prior knowledge, and prediction goals. As a proof of concept, we first conducted a study using synthetically generated quality decay data, demonstrating that incorporating kinetic knowledge directly into the neural network improves predictive accuracy and temporal extrapolation. Subsequently, a real-world case study predicting the overall visual quality (OVQ) of greenhouse tomatoes further confirmed the advantages of hybrid knowledge-data integration. Overall, this research demonstrates that SciML offers a third modeling alternative that balances data-driven flexibility and knowledge-driven interpretability. While not intended to replace traditional approaches, SciML can enrich the toolbox available to researchers and practitioners for F&amp;V quality modeling and, more broadly, for food quality prediction. Human judgment remains essential in selecting and applying the appropriate SciML model to ensure an effective balance among prediction accuracy on limited datasets, knowledge incorporation for improved extrapolation, computational efficiency, and interpretability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114103"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681912","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":"Multi-pathway antifungal mechanism of liquiritin against Fusarium sulphureum unlocks new green strategies for potato storage","authors":"Yaqin Tian ,&nbsp;Yalan He ,&nbsp;Ting Liu ,&nbsp;Weixia Yang ,&nbsp;Lichao Pan ,&nbsp;Haiwei Ren ,&nbsp;Tianyou Chen ,&nbsp;Wenguang Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dry rot caused by <em>Fusarium sulphureum</em> is one of the major postharvest diseases of potato tubers, often leading to substantial storage losses. In this study, the antifungal activity of the liquiritin against <em>F. sulphureum</em> was systematically evaluated both <em>in vivo</em> and <em>in vitro</em>, and its potential mode of action was preliminarily explored. Liquiritin (≥ 0.8 g L⁻¹) significantly reduced disease incidence and lesion expansion in inoculated tubers during 21 d of storage. <em>In vitro</em> assays revealed that liquiritin markedly inhibited mycelial growth, spore germination, biomass accumulation, and sporulation of <em>F. sulphureum</em> in a dose - dependent manner, with both the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration determined to be 1.6 g L⁻¹ . Scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that liquiritin treatment induced severe morphological alterations, including hyphal deformation, surface collapse, cytoplasmic vacuolization, and disruption of cell wall and plasma membrane structures. In the treated fungal cells, abnormal accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected, accompanied by elevated H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ levels and aggravated membrane lipid peroxidation. Transcriptomic analysis was performed based on whole - genome sequencing, revealing that liquiritin induced transcriptional changes in multiple pathways, including oxidative phosphorylation, glutathione metabolism, MAPK signaling, and autophagy - related processes. These findings provide new evidence for the antifungal mode of action of liquiritin and support the potential application of flavonoid - derived compounds as environmentally friendly antifungal agents for the control of potato dry rot during storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114151"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925223","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":"Calmodulin-like protein CpCML46 interacts with transcription factor CpERF12 to regulate papaya fruit ripening","authors":"Qiunan Zhu ,&nbsp;Xinmiao Kang ,&nbsp;Keyuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Faiz Ur Rahman ,&nbsp;Xiangting Wang ,&nbsp;Yankai Huang ,&nbsp;Ruyi Luo ,&nbsp;Hongtao Lei ,&nbsp;Weixin Chen ,&nbsp;Xueping Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyang Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Calmodulin-like protein (CML) is one of calcium sensor proteins that are responsible for receiving, translating and transmitting calcium signaling to downstream targets. In this research, it was observed that <em>CpCML46</em> exhibits an expression profile strongly associated with papaya fruit ripening. The transient overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assays demonstrated that CpCML46 acts as a positive player in enhancing papaya fruit ripening. The heterologous overexpression of <em>CpCML46</em> in tomato also promotes the ripening of fruits and promotes the transcription of ripening-associated genes. CpCML46 interacts with the transcription factor CpERF12, which acts as a transcriptional suppressor, with its expression level progressively declining during fruit ripening. Ethephon (ETH) treatment inhibits its expression while 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment promotes it. CpERF12 binds to and inhibits the promoter activities of the ethylene signal transduction-related gene <em>CpETR2-like</em>, and the cell wall degradation and remodeling-related genes <em>CpPE</em>, <em>CpPE12</em> and <em>CpEXPA11</em>. The interaction of CpCML46 and CpERF12 reduced the inhibitory effect of CpERF12 on downstream target genes. Transient overexpression of <em>CpERF12</em> inhibited the ripening process of papaya fruits, repressed the expression of <em>CpETR2-like</em>, <em>CpPE</em>, <em>CpPE12</em> and <em>CpEXPA11</em>. The present work reveals that CpCML46 not function as canonical calcium sensor, but interact with CpERF12 to form a CpCML46-CpERF12 regulator module, involved in the ethylene signal to mediate papaya fruit ripening.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114146"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883433","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":"AcERF61 transcription factor mediates ethylene-induced kiwifruit softening through directly regulating cell wall degradation genes","authors":"Lufan Wang ,&nbsp;Jiaxu Mao ,&nbsp;Shiying Zhang ,&nbsp;Huijuan Zhou ,&nbsp;Libin Wang ,&nbsp;Liang Zhou ,&nbsp;Mengyuan Chen ,&nbsp;Ziyi Yuan ,&nbsp;Xiangzhen Sun ,&nbsp;Shuling Shen ,&nbsp;Xiaolin Zheng ,&nbsp;Chen Huan","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114077","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114077","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ready-to-eat kiwifruit is increasingly favored by consumers, and fruit firmness is a key indicator of its edibility. Studies have shown that ethylene and its signaling pathways are involved in regulating fruit softening. However, in kiwifruit, research on the molecular mechanisms underlying ethylene-mediated postharvest softening remains limited, and the specific regulatory targets have yet to be fully elucidated. This study identified and characterized AcERF61, an ethylene response factor from 'Xuxiang' kiwifruit, and elucidated its regulatory role in fruit softening. AcERF61 was characterized as an ethylene-inducible nuclear protein with transcriptional activation activity. DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq) identified 2644 genome-wide binding sites for AcERF61, revealing three key target genes involved in cell wall degradation, including <em>AcPME1</em> (pectin methylesterase), <em>AcPL1</em> (pectin lyase), and <em>AcCEL1</em> (cellulase). AcERF61 directly bound to a novel motif (GTGGTGGTGGTGGTGGTGGTGGG) in the promoter regions of these genes, as confirmed by yeast one-hybrid (Y1H), electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assays. Transient overexpression of <em>AcERF61</em> in kiwifruit significantly enhanced the expression of target genes (<em>AcPME1</em>, <em>AcPL1</em>, and <em>AcCEL1</em>), and caused cell wall loosening and degradation. Conversely, virus-induced gene silencing of <em>AcERF61</em> suppressed target gene expression, and preserved cell wall integrity. These findings demonstrate that AcERF61 acts as a positive transcriptional regulator of kiwifruit softening by directly modulating the expression of genes involved in cell wall degradation, providing valuable insights for developing precision postharvest technologies and improving ready-to-eat kiwifruit quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114077"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145555138","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":"Flat nectarine cold chain breakage accelerates postharvest ripening and fruit flesh cell wall degradation","authors":"Qianqi Xu ,&nbsp;Guogang Chen ,&nbsp;Minrui Guo ,&nbsp;Shaobo Cheng ,&nbsp;Jiankang Cao ,&nbsp;Wanting Yang ,&nbsp;Weida Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114078","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flat nectarine often experience cold chain breakage during loading and unloading, but the impact of the resulting temperature fluctuations on their post-harvest quality remains unclear. In this study, simulate cold chain group (SC) and simulate cold chain fracture group (SF) were set up to investigate the postharvest quality and softening related cell wall metabolism of flat nectarines. Compared with SC, SF underwent two 6-hour heating periods at 25 ± 1 ℃, with increased rot, weight loss, soluble solids, and earlier respiration intensity and ethylene peak production. In addition, cold chain breakage enhanced the expression of <em>PpCx</em>, <em>PpPME1</em>, <em>Ppβ-GAL5</em>, <em>PpPG1</em>, and <em>PpPL</em>, which increase the activity of cell wall-modifying enzymes, Cx, β-Gal, XET, α-ARF, xyl, PG, PL, and PME. The changes are associated with decrease in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin (CSP, SSP) contents, accelerating fruit softening. Microscopic observation revealed that the cell wall disintegration and fruit peel wax shedding were more pronounced following cold chain breakage. Overall, cold chain breakage caused premature ripening and aging of flat nectarine, intensified softening, and increased decay and weight loss. Therefore, supply chains should be optimized in the later stages to minimize economic losses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114078"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145616907","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":"A chitosan emulsion containing Phoebe bournei wood essential oil for inhibiting Botrytis cinerea and extending the shelf-life of cherry tomato","authors":"Yan Yang ,&nbsp;Zhen Wang ,&nbsp;Yan Wang,&nbsp;Bao’an Wang,&nbsp;Yuting Zhang,&nbsp;Zaikang Tong,&nbsp;Junhong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The excellent antifungal activity of <em>Phoebe bournei</em> wood essential oil (PWEO) has been widely recognized. However, its practical application is hindered by poor water dispersibility and high volatility. Encapsulating essential oils in nanoparticles has become a promising strategy to overcome these limitations. This is the first time that PWEO has been encapsulated into chitosan nanoparticles to form a PWEO-loaded chitosan nanoemulsion (PWEO-CSNE). The PWEO-CSNE was characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). DLS results indicated that the nanoparticle size of PWEO-CSNE ranged from 242.200 ± 1.061 nm to 263.967 ± 4.570 nm. XRD and FTIR analyses collectively confirmed the successful encapsulation of PWEO within the chitosan particles. SEM observations revealed that the PWEO-CSNE nanoparticles exhibited a spherical morphology, with a slight decrease in zeta potential. In both <em>in vivo</em> and <em>in vitro</em> tests, PWEO-CSNE (at a 1:0.75, w/w ratio) completely inhibited (100 %) the development of gray mold lesions on cherry tomato fruit during a 7-day incubation period and significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of <em>Botrytis cinerea</em>. In a 10-day preservation experiment, PWEO-CSNE (1:0.75, w/w) effectively extended the shelf life of cherry tomato by reducing weight loss, minimizing color difference, slowing the decline in titratable acidity,increasing the contents of soluble sugars, flavonoids, total phenols, and carotenoids, and enhancing endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities.This study identifies the PWEO-CSNE emulsion (1:0.75, w/w), with its excellent dispersivity and antifungal efficacy, as a promising and novel solution for controlling gray mold and preserving the quality of postharvest cherry tomato.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114093"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145616981","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":"Antifungal mechanisms and preservation applications of LED technology against postharvest spoilage fungi in blueberries","authors":"Jialing Li ,&nbsp;Ziqian Zhang ,&nbsp;Yingyin Wu ,&nbsp;Zhiwei Ye ,&nbsp;Yuan Zou ,&nbsp;Hyun-Gyun Yuk ,&nbsp;Qianwang Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114128","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114128","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fungal infection remains the primary cause of postharvest blueberry decay. As a non-thermal technology, light-emitting diode (LED) offers a promising approach to preservation by inhibiting fungal activity. This study investigated the antifungal effects and mechanisms of LED against the main spoilage fungi (<em>Penicillium sclerotiorum and Cladosporium cladosporioides</em>) in blueberries and its application potential for preservation. Under optimal conditions (410–420 nm LED, 25°C, 12 h), LED treatment achieved spore inhibition rates of 99.46–99.52 % <em>in vitro</em>. The <em>in vivo</em> study using inoculated blueberries, under the same conditions (extended to 36 h), demonstrated maximum log reductions of 4.11 and 2.50 CFU/g for the two fungi, respectively. Based on these, the antifungal mechanism was further elucidated through cellular and molecular analyses. At the cellular level, results indicated that cellular membrane damage (lipid peroxidation and intracellular leakage), oxidative stress (ROS accumulation and diminished antioxidant enzyme activities), and mitochondrial dysfunction (ΔΨm dysregulation and ATP depletion) are the main causes of cell damage. Molecular analysis revealed that LED disrupted structural integrity by suppressing cell wall/membrane biosynthesis genes, impaired antioxidant defense by inhibiting peroxisome biogenesis (<em>P. sclerotiorum</em>) and GSH synthesis genes (<em>C. cladosporioides</em>), and dysregulated energy metabolism by altering key genes in glycolysis, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, compared with the untreated control, the LED treatment had no significant effect on the blueberries' color, soluble solids, and pH, though it increased weight loss and reduced firmness. These findings suggest a novel LED-based preservation strategy for blueberries and provide a theoretical basis for its application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114128"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145786646","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":"Targeting the Snf1 kinase by cinnamaldehyde induces glucose starvation and oxidative stress in Fusarium solani for the control of sweet potato postharvest decay","authors":"Chao Pan ,&nbsp;Fajuan Wang ,&nbsp;Yanzi Chu ,&nbsp;Yahui Xue ,&nbsp;Yan Ye ,&nbsp;Kunlong Yang ,&nbsp;Jinfeng Hua ,&nbsp;Ling Shen ,&nbsp;Jun Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Fusarium</em> root rot, caused by <em>Fusarium solani</em>, is one of the major postharvest diseases of sweet potato. Cinnamaldehyde (CA), a natural product from cinnamon bark, has demonstrated promising antifungal efficacy; however, its mechanism of action, especially regarding fungal sugar metabolism, remains poorly understood. CA above 0.375 g L⁻¹ inhibited <em>F. solani</em> mycelial growth, induced glucose deprivation, and triggered the accumulation of reserve carbohydrates (trehalose and glycogen). Moreover, CA promoted the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), protein carbonylation, and DNA fragmentation, indicating that CA caused oxidative damage and led to apoptotic cell death in <em>F. solani</em>. Notably, CA suppressed the function of the metabolic regulator sucrose non-fermenting protein kinase 1 (Snf1) by disrupting its transcription and translation. Genetic knockout of <em>Snf1</em> increased the inhibition rate of mycelial growth, amplified intracellular glucose scarcity, promoted the accumulation of reserve carbohydrates, accelerated H₂O₂ accumulation and protein oxidative damage, and ultimately exacerbated the extent of cell apoptosis. Complementarily, activation of Snf1 attenuated the antifungal effect of CA. Moreover, CA reduced rot incidence and better preserved nutritional quality (soluble sugars and starch), particularly in sweet potato roots infected with <em>Snf1</em>-deletion mutants. These findings reveal that CA exerts its antifungal effect by disrupting Snf1-mediated glucose supply and inducing oxidative stress in <em>F. solani</em> to control sweet potato postharvest decay. This study provides novel insights into the antifungal mechanism of plant essential oils and supports the potential application of CA as an eco-friendly preservative for controlling postharvest spoilage in carbohydrate-rich fresh produce.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20328,"journal":{"name":"Postharvest Biology and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 114116"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145786648","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}