Study on the effects of tea polyphenols and their compound preservatives on the quality of two cultivars of sweet cherry fruits during storage period

This study investigates the effects of tea polyphenols and their compound preservatives on the post-harvest quality of sweet cherry fruits. Specifically, it compares and analyzes the effects of three treatments: tea polyphenols (TP), tea polyphenols combined with natamycin (TN), and tea polyphenols combined with nisin (TI). The research focuses on various quality parameters, including fruit texture, color difference, weight loss rate, and soluble solids (TSS) during storage, using the ‘Brooks’ and ‘Summit’ cultivars as subjects. The results indicate that there was a significant decrease in hardness, chewiness, resilience, and springiness with the extension of storage time. Meanwhile, color difference parameters including brightness, the red-green axis color index, the yellow-blue axis color index, and chroma value also showed a significant decrease. In contrast, the weight loss rate and TSS exhibit an upward trend. Principal component analysis reveals that ‘Brooks’ demonstrates greater resistance to storage compared to ‘Summit’ under identical preservation treatments and storage duration. All three types of preservation solutions effectively slow the decline in fruit quality and color changes for both ‘Brooks’ and ‘Summit’ fruits to varying extents. The preservation effects, in descending order, are as follows: TI > TP > TN > control samples (CK). The combination of the bio-preservatives tea polyphenols and nisin can synergistically extend the storage period of sweet cherry fruits, thereby mitigating quality deterioration and providing a novel strategy for the post-harvest preservation of sweet cherry fruits, which holds significant application value.