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Reducing Chilling Injury of Loquat Fruit by Combined Treatment with Hot Air and Methyl Jasmonate

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Abstract

The effects of a combined treatment of hot air (HA, 38 °C for 6 h) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA, 16 μmol L−1) on chilling injury, fruit quality, and physiological changes in loquat fruit stored at 1 °C were investigated. The results showed that treatment with HA or MeJA alone both significantly alleviated chilling injury in loquat fruit compared with the control, while their combination had the lowest level of chilling injury symptoms and highest quality. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase were enhanced by the combination of HA and MeJA. In addition, the combined treatment significantly inhibited the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase, which resulted in lower lignin content. Highest level of polygalacturonase activity and water-soluble pectin content and lowest level of protopectin content were also observed in the combined treatment. These results suggested that the enhanced chilling tolerance by combination of HA and MeJA treatment in loquat fruit was related to the induction of antioxidant enzymes and the inhibition of lignin biosynthesis. The combination of HA and MeJA treatment could be a useful technique to alleviate chilling injury and maintain quality of loquat fruit during cold storage.

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Abbreviations

HA:

Hot air

MeJA:

Methyl jasmonate

CI:

Chilling injury

IB:

Internal browning

TSS:

Total soluble solid

TA:

Titratable acidity

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

CAT:

Catalase

PAL:

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

POD:

Peroxidase

PPO:

Polyphenol oxidase

PG:

Polygalacturonase

RSM:

Response surface methodology

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31071616) and Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201003073).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Jin, Yangfeng Duan, Lei Wang, Jing Wang & Yonghua Zheng

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  1. Peng Jin
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  2. Yangfeng Duan
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  3. Lei Wang
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  4. Jing Wang
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  5. Yonghua Zheng
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Correspondence to Yonghua Zheng.

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Jin, P., Duan, Y., Wang, L. et al. Reducing Chilling Injury of Loquat Fruit by Combined Treatment with Hot Air and Methyl Jasmonate. Food Bioprocess Technol 7, 2259–2266 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-013-1232-3

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