IMPROVING THE STORAGE LIFE AND MARKETABILITY OF MATURE ORANGE CAPE GOOSEBERRY FRUIT: ENHANCEMENT OF THE ENZYMATIC ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM UNDER EXOGENOUS MELATONIN TREATMENT
Keywords:
ascorbate peroxidase, free radical, taste index, tissue firmness, weight loss
Abstract
The cape gooseberry fruit (Physalis peruviana L.) is a climacteric fruit that experiences significant color and texture changes during storage due to increased ethylene synthesis. While its storage life is one month with its calyx, it only lasts 4 to 5 days without it. Therefore, strategies to reduce postharvest losses and extend storage life are essential. In this study, entirely ripe orange cape gooseberry fruits with yellow calyces were harvested from a commercial greenhouse in Pasargad (Fars province, Iran) and transferred to the laboratory. After washing, fruits were immersed in melatonin solutions at concentrations of 100, 200, and 300 µM for 5 minutes, with distilled water as the control. The fruits were stored at 10 °C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity for 21 days and evaluated weekly. Results showed that all melatonin treatments significantly controlled weight loss and fruit softening. Melatonin-treated fruits also had comparable taste indices and performed better than controls. Treatment with melatonin improved the antioxidant enzymatic system, with fruits treated with 300 µM melatonin showing the highest activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase enzymes, and the lowest hydrogen peroxide content, indicating reduced oxidative stress. Additionally, the lowest decay (17.4%) was in fruits treated with 300 µM melatonin, while the highest decay (43.83%) was in control fruits. Melatonin treatment proved effective in improving the quality and extending the shelf life of cape gooseberry fruits, acting as a valuable and environmentally friendly postharvest preservation method by delaying ripening, enhancing antioxidant activity, and preserving taste indices.
References
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Saxena, I., Srikanth, S., & Chen, Z. (2016). Cross talk between H2O2 and interacting signal molecules under plant stress response. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, 570.
Taghipour, L., & Assar, P. (2022). The effect of postharvest polyamine application on the physicochemical traits, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of sweet lime fruit. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 23(1), 167–178.
Taghipour, L., Rahemi, M., Assar, P., Mirdehghan, S. H., & Ramezanian, A. (2021). Intermittent warming as an efficient postharvest treatment affects the enzymatic and non-enzymatic responses of pomegranate during cold storage. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 15, 12–22.
Tan, D. -X., Chen, L. D., Poeggeler, B., Manchester, L. C., & Reiter, R. J. (1993). Melatonin: A potent, endogenous hydroxyl radical scavenger. Endocrine Journal, 1, 57–60.
Velikova, V., Yordanov, I., & Edreva, A. (2000). Oxidative stress and some antioxidant systems in acid rain-treated bean plants: Protective role of exogenous polyamines. Plant Science, 151, 59–66.
Wang, D., Randhawa, M. S., Azam, M., Liu, H., Ejaz, S., Ilahy, R., Qadri, R., Khan, M. I., Umer, M. A., Khan, M. A. & Wang, K. (2022). Exogenous melatonin treatment reduces postharvest senescence and maintains the quality of papaya fruit during cold storage. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1039373.
Wang, F., Zhang, X., Yang, Q., & Zhao, Q. (2019). Exogenous melatonin delays postharvest fruit senescence and maintains the quality of sweet cherries. Food Chemistry, 301, 125311.
Wang, S. -Y., Shi, X. -C., Wang, R., Wang, H. -L., Liu, F., & Laborda, P. (2020). Melatonin in fruit production and postharvest preservation: A review. Food Chemistry, 320, 126642.
Ze, Y., Gao, H., Li, T., Yang, B., & Jiang, Y. (2021). Insights into the roles of melatonin in maintaining quality and extending shelf life of postharvest fruits. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 569–578.
Zhang, Y., Huber, D. J., Hu, M., Jiang, G., Gao, Z., Xu, X., Jiang, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2018). Delay of postharvest browning in litchi fruit by melatonin via the enhancing of antioxidative processes and oxidation repair. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66, 7475–7484.
Arnao, M. B., & Hernández-Ruiz, J. (2014). Melatonin: plant growth regulator and/or biostimulator during stress? Trends in Plant Science 19, 789–797.
Balaguera-López, H. E., Martínez-Cárdenas, C. A. & Herrera-Arévalo, A. (2016). Effect of the maturity stage on the postharvest behavior of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) fruits stored at room temperature. Bioagro 28, 117–124.
Oliveira, S. F., Gonçalves, F. J. A., Correia, P. M. R., & Guinė, R. P. F. (2015). Physical properties of Physalis peruviana L. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering (ICEUBI 2015), Covilhã, Portugal.
Dubbels, R., Reiter, R. J., Klenke, E., Goebel, A., Schnakenberg, E., Ehlers, C., Schiwara, H. W., & Schloot, W. (1995). Melatonin in edible plants identified by radioimmunoassay and by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Pineal Research 18, 28–31.
Fan, S., Xiong, T., Lei, Q., Tan, Q., Cai, J., Song, Z., Yang, M., Chen, W., Li, X., & Zhu., X. (2022). Melatonin treatment improves postharvest preservation and resistance of guava fruit (Psidium guajava L.). Foods (Basel, Switzerland) 11.
Feng, X., Wang, M., Zhao, Y., Han, P., & Dai, Y. (2014). Melatonin from different fruit sources, functional roles, and analytical methods. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 37(1), 21–31.
Fischer, G., Herrera, A., & Almanza, P.J. (2011). 17 - Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.). Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. Woodhead Publishing.
Puente, L. A., Pinto-Muñoz, C. A., Castro, E. S., & Cortés, M. (2011). Physalis peruviana Linnaeus, the multiple properties of a highly functional fruit: A review. Food Research International, 44(7), 1733–1740.
Gao, H., Zhang, Z. K., Chai, H. K., Cheng, N., Yang, Y., Wang, D. N., Yang, T., & Cao, W. (2016). Melatonin treatment delays postharvest senescence and regulates reactive oxygen species metabolism in peach fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 118, 103–110.
Gurjar, P. S., Bharati, K., Pareek, K. P., & Hada, T. S. (2022). Application of melatonin in maintaining postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables: A review. Agricultural Reviews, 43(2), 193–198.
Hayati, P., Hosseinifarahi, M., Abdi, G., Radi, M., & Taghipour, L. (2023a). Melatonin treatment improves nutritional value and antioxidant enzyme activity of Physalis peruviana fruit during storage. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 17, 2782–2791.
Hayati, P., Hosseinifarahi, M., Abdi, G., Radi, M., & Taghipour, L. (2023b). The effect of postharvest treatment of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the physico-chemical characteristics of Physalis peruviana fruit during storage. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 24(3), 403–418.
Hu, W., Yang, H., Tie, W., Yan, Y., Ding, Z., Liu, Y., Wu, C., Wang, J., Reiter, R. J., Tan, D. -X., Shi, H., Xu, B., & Jin, Z. (2017). Natural variation in banana varieties highlights the role of melatonin in postharvest ripening and quality. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65, 9987–9994.
Jannatizadeh, A., Soleimani Aghdam, M., Luo, Z., & Razavi, F. (2019). Impact of exogenous melatonin application on chilling injury in tomato fruits during cold storage. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 12, 741–750.
Jimenez, A., Creissen, G., Kular, B., Firmin, J., Robinson, S., Verhoeyen, M., & Mullineaux, P. (2002). Changes in oxidative processes and components of the antioxidant system during tomato fruit ripening. Planta, 214, 751–758.
Kumar, R., Khurana, A., & Sharma, A. K. (2014). Role of plant hormones and their interplay in development and ripening of fleshy fruits. Journal of Experimental Botany, 65, 4561–4575.
Onik, J. C., Wai, S. C., Li, A., Lin, Q., Sun, Q., Wang, Z., & Duan, Y. (2021). Melatonin treatment reduces ethylene production and maintains fruit quality in apple during postharvest storage. Food Chemistry, 337, 127753.
Proebsting, E. L., & Murphey, A. S. (1987). Variability of fruit quality characteristics within sweet cherry trees in central Washington. HortScience, 22, 227–230.
Rastegar, S., Hassanzadeh Khankahdani, H., & Rahimzadeh, M. (2020). Effects of melatonin treatment on the biochemical changes and antioxidant enzyme activity of mango fruit during storage. Scientia Horticulturae, 259, 108835.
Saxena, I., Srikanth, S., & Chen, Z. (2016). Cross talk between H2O2 and interacting signal molecules under plant stress response. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, 570.
Taghipour, L., & Assar, P. (2022). The effect of postharvest polyamine application on the physicochemical traits, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of sweet lime fruit. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 23(1), 167–178.
Taghipour, L., Rahemi, M., Assar, P., Mirdehghan, S. H., & Ramezanian, A. (2021). Intermittent warming as an efficient postharvest treatment affects the enzymatic and non-enzymatic responses of pomegranate during cold storage. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 15, 12–22.
Tan, D. -X., Chen, L. D., Poeggeler, B., Manchester, L. C., & Reiter, R. J. (1993). Melatonin: A potent, endogenous hydroxyl radical scavenger. Endocrine Journal, 1, 57–60.
Velikova, V., Yordanov, I., & Edreva, A. (2000). Oxidative stress and some antioxidant systems in acid rain-treated bean plants: Protective role of exogenous polyamines. Plant Science, 151, 59–66.
Wang, D., Randhawa, M. S., Azam, M., Liu, H., Ejaz, S., Ilahy, R., Qadri, R., Khan, M. I., Umer, M. A., Khan, M. A. & Wang, K. (2022). Exogenous melatonin treatment reduces postharvest senescence and maintains the quality of papaya fruit during cold storage. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1039373.
Wang, F., Zhang, X., Yang, Q., & Zhao, Q. (2019). Exogenous melatonin delays postharvest fruit senescence and maintains the quality of sweet cherries. Food Chemistry, 301, 125311.
Wang, S. -Y., Shi, X. -C., Wang, R., Wang, H. -L., Liu, F., & Laborda, P. (2020). Melatonin in fruit production and postharvest preservation: A review. Food Chemistry, 320, 126642.
Ze, Y., Gao, H., Li, T., Yang, B., & Jiang, Y. (2021). Insights into the roles of melatonin in maintaining quality and extending shelf life of postharvest fruits. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 569–578.
Zhang, Y., Huber, D. J., Hu, M., Jiang, G., Gao, Z., Xu, X., Jiang, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2018). Delay of postharvest browning in litchi fruit by melatonin via the enhancing of antioxidative processes and oxidation repair. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66, 7475–7484.
Published
2025/03/31
Section
Original Scientific Paper