Harnessing the metabolic modulatory and antioxidant power of 1-(3-Phenyl-Propyl) cyclopropane and melatonin in maintaining mango fruit quality and prolongation storage life

Role of irradiated and un-irradiated alginate as edible coating in physicochemical and nutritional quality of cherry tomato

BACKGROUND

Fresh vegetables are commodities that have a high tendency to deteriorate after harvest, causing significant losses in economic and environmental costs associated with plant food loss. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the effects of both un-irradiated (UISA) and irradiated sodium alginate (ISA) as an edible coating for preserving cherry tomato fruits under storage conditions. The FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, and TEM were used to characterize the UISA and ISA (25, 50, 75, and 100 kGy), which demonstrated that the alginate polymer was degraded and low molecular-weight polysaccharides were formed as a result of irradiation, particularly with the 100 kGy dose level. Sodium alginate irradiated at 100 kGy was used for the coating process, and the physico-chemical and nutritional quality of cherry tomatoes were analyzed.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated that UISA and ISA treatments delayed changes in most of the ripening characteristics; weight and acidity losses, decay, and softening. The weight loss of the control was observed to be greater at the two keeping temperatures (4 and 25 °C) comparison with tomatoes coated with UISA. The ISA coatings gave the least weight loss at the two keeping temperatures (4 and 25 °C) (5.46 and 14.72%), respectively compared to the control (8.77 and 18.93%), respectively at the end of the storage period. In terms of antioxidant properties, significant results were obtained with the use of the alginate coating, specially irradiated sodium alginate. Over time, the majority of water-soluble vitamins in cherry tomatoes decreased, especially vitamin C, and the alginate-coated tomatoes showed the least decrease in vitamin C content, especially ISA.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings suggest that ISA treatment efficiently extends the storage period of tomato fruits and maintains their quality through preservation and offers promising potential for successful commercialization of this eco-friendly eatable coating for fruit and vegetable growers and industries.

Offsetting pb induced oxidative stress in Vicia faba plants by foliar spray of chitosan through adjustment of morpho-biochemical and molecular indices

In the course of their life, plants face a multitude of environmental anomaly that affects their growth and production. In recent decades, lead (Pb) gained an increasing attention as it is among the most significant contaminants in the environment. Therefore, in this study the effects of Pb concentrations (0, 50 and 100 ppm) on Vicia faba plants and attempts to alleviate this stress using chitosan (Chs; 0 and 0.1%) were performed. The results validated that with increasing Pb concentrations, a decline in growth, pigments and protein contents was observed. In the same time, a significant upsurge in the stress markers, both malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2, was observed under Pb stress. Nonetheless, foliar spraying with Chs improves the faba bean growth, pigment fractions, protein, carbohydrates, reduces MDA and H2O2 contents and decreases Pb concentrations under Pb stress. Pb mitigation effects by Chs are probably related with the activity of antioxidant enzymes, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and proline. The application of Chs enhanced the activities of peroxidase, catalase and PAL by 25.77, 17.71 and 20.07%, respectively at 100 ppm Pb compared to their control. Plant genomic material exhibits significant molecular polymorphism, with an average polymorphism of 91.66% across all primers. To assess the genetic distance created among treatments, the dendrogram was constructed and the results of the similarity index ranged from 0.75 to 0.95, indicating genetic divergence. Our research offers a thorough comprehension of the role of Chs in lessening the oxidative stress, which will encourage the use of Chs in agricultural plant protection.

Enhancing productivity, modifying biochemical parameters, and regulating the phenylpropanoid pathway in 'Le-Conte' pears through optimal protocatechuic acid treatments

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the impact of protocatechuic acid (PRC) treatments on the productivity and fruit quality of 'Le-Conte' pears, with a specific focus on productivity, stone cells content, and antioxidant activity. The research spanned over three consecutive cultivating seasons, with the first season serving as a preliminary study to determine the optimal PRC concentrations and the most effective number of spray applications. During the initial season, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize PRC concentration and application frequency. PRC was evaluated at concentrations ranging from 50 to 400 ppm, with treatment frequencies of either once or twice. Considering the optimal conditions obtained from RSM results, PRC treatments at 200 ppm and 300 ppm were applied twice, and their respective effects were studied in comparison to the control in the following seasons.

RESULTS

RSM results indicated that PRC at 200 and 300 ppm, applied twice, once during full bloom and again three weeks later, yielded the most significant effects. Subsequent studies revealed that PRC treatments had a substantial impact on various aspects of fruit production and quality. Applying 300 ppm PRC once during full bloom and again three weeks later resulted in higher fruit set percentages, lower fruit abscission, and enhanced fruit yield compared to untreated trees. Additionally, the 200 ppm PRC treatment maintained physicochemical characteristics such as fruit color, increased total soluble solids (TSS), and total sugar, and maintained higher ascorbic acid content and antioxidant capacity in the fruits while reducing stone cells content and lignin. Notably, enzyme activities related to phenylpropanoid metabolism and stone cells, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-Coumarate-CoA Ligase (4CL), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), as well as peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and laccase, were significantly regulated by PRC treatments.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study suggests that PRC treatments are suitable for enhancing pear yield and quality, with PRC at 200 ppm being the more recommended option over 300 ppm. This approach serves as an effective strategy for achieving a balance between enhancing the productivity and fruit quality of 'Le-Conte' pears.