The optimal precise temperature alleviated chilling injury and maintained post-harvest quality for 'Mengzi' pomegranate fruit

Abstract

Chilling injury (CI) is a highly common physiological disorder in pomegranates during cold storage. Although several approaches have been investigated to mitigate the CI symptoms among some pomegranate cultivars, the fundamental and crucial environmental factor — the precise storage temperature for the 'Mengzi' cultivation remains unknown. This research evaluated the impact of storage temperatures of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 °C on the post-harvest quality of pomegranates. Results indicated that pomegranates stored at 2 °C exhibited the slightest color change and browning index. After storage of 130 d, pomegranates stored at 2 °C exhibited the lower CI index (82.79% reduction) and the lowest decay incidence (24.68% reduction) compared to those stored at 0 °C. The respiratory rate of pomegranates (2 °C) was also evidently suppressed (16.60%), along with a reduction in weight loss (3.46%). Furthermore, pomegranates stored at 2 °C exhibited the lowest activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), accompanied by the highest total phenolic content, which contributed to a reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Relatively higher concentrations of soluble solids and titratable acid, as well as a higher sensory evaluation, were found in pomegranates stored at 2 °C. Consequently, it was inferred that the optimal temperature maintained cell membrane integrity modulated normal respiratory metabolism, and oxidative balance, and therefore alleviated CI and deterioration. This report can provide the guiding significance for the long-term storage of 'Mengzi' pomegranates under the condition of precise temperature control in phase temperature storage.

Keywords

Pomegranate / Chilling injury / Optimal temperature / Storage quality

Author contributions

The authors contributed the article as below: Li L: compiling the first draft & software. Luo J: validation. Li X: resources & methodology. Pang L: editing. Jia X: visualization. Liu L: software & editing. Kačániováe M: review. Song J: Supervision. Qiao L: editing & review. All authors checked the results and approved the final version.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (3200161737), Science and Technology Action Project of Rural Revitalization Industry Development of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2022NC119), Postdoctoral Research Foundation of China (2022M712375), and Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (SKLFNS-KF-202316).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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