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Soluble Sugar Content and Metabolism as Related to the Heat-Induced Chilling Tolerance of Loquat Fruit During Cold Storage

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Abstract

The effects of high-temperature, short-time hot air treatment (45 °C for 3 h) on soluble sugar metabolism and chilling tolerance in loquat fruit stored at 5 °C for 5 weeks were investigated. Heat treatment significantly reduced chilling severity, as evidenced by lower firmness and internal browning and higher levels of extractable juice. Meanwhile, this treatment accelerated the activities of acid invertase, neutral invertase, sucrose phosphate synthase and sucrose synthase during storage. However, sucrose degradation was predominant, which caused lower levels of sucrose and higher levels of glucose and fructose in the heat-treated group. In addition, the ascorbate acid content and the activities of ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase in the heat-treated fruit were much higher than those in control fruit, resulting in lower levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde and decreased membrane permeability as well as a higher unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio at the end of storage. Our results suggest that the increased levels of reducing sugars, especially those of glucose, may induce the ascorbate–glutathione cycle activity to scavenge for H2O2, whose content relates to the heat-induced chilling tolerance of loquat fruit.

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Abbreviations

CI:

Chilling injury

IB:

Internal browning

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

SAI:

Soluble acid invertase

NI:

Neutral invertase

SS:

Sucrose synthase

SPS:

Sucrose–phosphate synthase

AsA:

Ascorbate acid

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

GSH:

Reduced glutathione

GR:

Glutathione reductase

FW:

Fresh weight

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Acknowledgments

This study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation of China (no. 31000825), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (no. Y3090537), International Foundation for Science (E/4412-1) and the K. C. Wong Magna Fund at Ningbo University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Xingfeng Shao, Hongfei Wang & Yuxing Song

  2. Agriculture Products Quality Detect Center, Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Science, Ningbo, 315040, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Yong Zhu

  3. Nanjing Research Institute for Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, 210014, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Shifeng Cao

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  1. Xingfeng Shao
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Correspondence to Xingfeng Shao.

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Shao, X., Zhu, Y., Cao, S. et al. Soluble Sugar Content and Metabolism as Related to the Heat-Induced Chilling Tolerance of Loquat Fruit During Cold Storage. Food Bioprocess Technol 6, 3490–3498 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-012-1011-6

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