Abstract
Kiwifruits (Actinidia chinensis cv. Hongyang) were treated by direct cooling and gradual cooling to investigate the effect of cooling treatment on chilling injury. The direct cooling fruits were immediately cooled at 0°C after harvest. The gradual cooling fruits were held for 3 days at 5 °C (from 5 °C to 0°C), or for 7 days at 2°C (from 2°C to 0°C), or decreased in temperature from 15°C to 5°C by 5°C at 1 days intervals and then maintained at 5°C for 3 days plus a subsequent period of of 7 days at 2 (from 15°C to 0°C). After the above treatments, then those fruit were stored at 0 ± 0.5°C, 90% to 95% RH for 80 days. Gradual cooling (from 15°C to 0°C) significantly maintained higher percentage of accepted fruit and lower chilling injury index and chilling injury incidence of fruit compared with the direct cooling. Some attributes were then assayed in the fruits treated with gradual cooling (from 15°C to 0°C). Gradual cooling (from 15°C to 0°C) inhibited increases in membrane permeability, malondialdehyde content, superoxide anion production rate, and H2O2 content. At the same time, fruit cooled gradually (from 15°C to 0°C) exhibited higher superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase activities than those treated by direct cooling during storage. The present study indicated that enhancement in antioxidant enzyme activity may be attributed to the reduction in CI symptoms by the gradual cooling treatment (from 15°C to 0°C).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Aebi, H. 1984. Catalase in vitro. Methods Enzymol. 105:121–126.
Antunes, M.D.C. and E.M. Sfakiotakis. 2002. Chilling induced ethylene biosynthesis in ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit following storage. Sci. Hortic. 92:29–39.
Antunes, M.D.C. and E.M. Sfakiotakis. 2008. Changes in fatty acid composition and electrolyte leakage of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit during storage at different temperatures. Food Chem. 110:891–896.
Ariel, R.V., A.M. Gustavo, R.C. Alicia, and M.C. Pedro. 2006. Effect of heat treatment on strawberry fruit damage and oxidative metabolism during storage. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 40:116–122.
Arpaia, M.L., A.A. MIitchell, A.A. Kader, and G. Mayer. 1985. Effects of 2% and varying concentrations of with or without on the storage performance of kiwifruit. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 110:200–203.
Aurelio, B.G., V.G. Misael, C.C. José, C.L. Armando, and A.V. José. 2010. Effect of gradual cooling storage on chilling injury and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in tomato fruit. J. Food Biochem. 34:295–307.
Burdon, J., N. Lallu, K. Francis, and H. Boldingh. 2007. The susceptibility of kiwifruit to low temperature breakdownis associated with pre-harvest temperatures and at-harvestsoluble solids content. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 43:283–290.
Cao, S.F., Y.H. Zheng, K.T. Wang, P. Jin, and H.J. Rui. 2009. Methyl jasmonate reduces chilling injury and enhances antioxidant enzyme activity in postharvest loquat fruit. Food Chem. 115:1458–1463.
Cao, S.F., Z.F. Yang, Y.T Cai, and Y.T Zheng. 2011. Fatty acid composition and antioxidant system in relation to susceptibility of loquat fruit to chilling injury. Food Chem. 127:1777–1783.
Dhindsa, R.S., P.P. Dhindsa, and T.A. Thorpe. 1981. Leaf senescence: Correlated with increased levels of membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. J. Exp. Bot. 32:93–101.
Gerasopoulos, D. and P.D. Drogoudi. 2005. Summer-pruning and preharvest calcium chloride sprays affect storability and low temperature breakdown incidence in kiwifruit. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 36:303–308.
Hammerschmidt, R., E.M. Nuckles, and J. Kuc. 1982. Ligni cation as amechanismfor induced systemic resistance in cucumber. Physiol. Plant Pathol. Physiol. 20:61–71.
Hariyadi, P. and L.P. Kirk. 1991. Chilling-induced oxidative stress in cucumber fruits. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 1:33–45.
Hodges, D.M., G.E. Lester, K.D. Munro, and P.M. Toivonen. 2004. Oxidative stress: Importance for postharvest quality. HortScience 39:924–929.
Imahori, Y., M. Takemura, and J.H. Bai. 2008. Chilling-induced oxidative stress and antioxidant responses in mume (Prunus mume) fruit during low temperature storage. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 49:54–60.
Jiang, Y.M. and F. Chen. 1995. A study on polyamine change and browning of fruit during cold storage of litchi fruit. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 5:245–250.
Lallu, N. 1997. Low temperature breakdown in kiwifruit. Acta Hortic. 444:579–585.
Lim, B.S., J.K. Kim, K.C. Gross, Y.S. Hwang, and J.H. Kim. 2005. Gradual postharvest cooling reduces blackening disorder in ‘Niitaka’ pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) fruits. J. Kor. Soc. Hort. Sci. 46:311–316.
Lurie, S. and A. Sabehat. 1997. Prestorage temperature manipulations to reduce chilling injury in tomatoes. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 11:57–62.
Nakano, Y. and K. Asada. 1981. Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate-specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant Cell Physiol. 22:867–880.
Patterson, B.D., E.A. Macrae, and I. B. Ferguson. 1984. Estimation of hydrogen peroxide in plant extracts using titanium (IV). Anal Biochem. 139:487–492.
Sala, J.M. 1998. Involvement of oxidative stress in chilling injury in cold-stored mandarin fruits. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 13:255–261.
Sfakiotakis, E.M., G. Chlioumis, and D. Gerasopoulos. 2005. Preharvest chilling reduces low temperature breakdown incidence of kiwifruit. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 38:169–174.
Song, L.L., H.Y. Gao, H.J. Chen, J.L. Mao, Y.J. Zhou, W.X. Chen, and Y.M. Jiang. 2009. Effects of short-term anoxic treatment on antioxidant ability and membrane integrity of postharvest kiwifruit during storage. Food Chem. 114:1216–1221.
Wang, C.Y. 1982. Physiological and biochemical responses of plants to chilling stress. HortScience 17:173–186.
Wang, A.G. and G.H. Luo. 1990. Quantitative relation between the reaction of hydroxylamine and superoxide anion radicals in plants. Plant Physiol. Commun. 26:55–57.
Wang, C.Y. 1993. Approaches to reduce chilling injury of fruits and vegetables. Hort. Rev. 15:63–95.
Wu, F.H., H.Q. Yang, Y.Z. Chang, J.Y. Cheng, S.F.X. Bai, and J.Y. Yin. 2012. Effects of nitric oxide on reactive oxygen species and antioxidant capacity in chinese bayberry during storage. Scientia Hor. 135:106–111.
Xiong, X.M., J.P. Rao, S.Q. Dai, and Q.Z. Fang. 2006. Effect of cold shock treatment on the quality and anti-oxidative enzyme activities of nectarine fruits during storage. Acta Bot. Boreal-Occident. Sin. 26:473–477.
Yang, A.P., S.F. Cao, Z.F. Yang, Z.T. Cai, and Z.H. Zheng. 2011a. γ-aminobutyric acid treatment reduces chilling injury and activates the defence response of peach fruit. Food Chem. 129:1619–1622.
Yang, H.Q., F.H. Wu, and J. Y. Cheng. 2011b. Reduced chilling injury in cucumber by nitric oxide and the antioxidant response. Food Chem. 127:1237–1242.
Zhao, Y.L., J.H. Li, J. F. Shi, X.Y. Zhang, L. Wang, and H.R. Wang. 2009. Effects of slow cooling treatment on chilling injury and physiological changes of pomegranate fruit during cold storage. Zhongguo Nong Xue Tong Bao. 25:102–105.
Zheng, Y.H., R.W.M. Fung, S.Y. Wang, and C.Y. Wang. 2008. Transcript levels of antioxidative genes and oxygen radical scavenging enzyme activities in chilled zucchini squash in response to superatmospheric oxygen. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 47:151–158.
Zhu, S.H., L.N. Sun, M.C. Liu, and J. Zhou. 2008. Effect of nitric oxide on reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes in kiwifruit during storage. J. Sci. Food Agric. 88:2324–2331.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, Q., Rao, J., Yi, S. et al. Antioxidant enzyme activity and chilling injury during low-temperature storage of Kiwifruit cv. Hongyang exposed to gradual postharvest cooling. Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 53, 505–512 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-012-0101-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-012-0101-8