Factors Affecting Quality and Health Promoting Compounds during Growth and Postharvest Life of Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Abstract

Sweet cherries are attractive fruits due to their taste, color, nutritional value, and beneficial health effects. Sweet cherry is a highly perishable fruit and all quality attributes and the level of health promoting compounds are affected by growth conditions, picking, packing, transport, and storage. During production, the correct combination of scion × rootstock will produce fruits with higher firmness, weight, sugars, vitamins, and phenolic compounds that boost the fruit antioxidant activity. Orchard management, such as applying drip irrigation and summer pruning, will increase fruit sugar levels and total phenolic content, while application of growth regulators can result in improved storability, increased red coloring, increased fruit size, and reduced cracking. Salicylic acid, oxalic acid, acetylsalicylic acid, and methyl salicylate are promising growth regulators as they also increase total phenolics, anthocyanins, and induce higher activity of antioxidant enzymes. These growth regulators are now also applied as fruit coatings that improve shelf-life with higher antioxidant enzyme activities and total phenolics. Optimizing storage and transport conditions, such as hydro cooling with added CaCl2, chain temperature and relative humidity control, are crucial for slowing down decay of quality attributes and increasing the antioxidant capacity. Application of controlled atmosphere during storage is successful in delaying quality attributes, but lowers ascorbic acid levels. The combination of low temperature storage in combination with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is successful in reducing the incidence of fruit decay, while preserving taste attributes and stem color with a higher antioxidant capacity. A new trend in MAP is the use of biodegradable films such as micro-perforated polylactic acid film that combine significant retention of quality attributes, high consumer acceptability, and a reduced environmental footprint. Another trend is to replace MAP with fruit edible coatings. Edible coatings, such as various lipid composite coatings, have advantages in retaining quality attributes and increasing the antioxidant activity (chitosan) and are regarded as approved food additives, although studies regarding consumer acceptance are needed. The recent publication of the sweet cherry genome will likely increase the identification of more candidate genes involved in growing and maintaining health related compounds and quality attributes.

Role of maturity stages and modified‐atmosphere packaging on the quality attributes of cornelian cherry fruits (Cornus mas L.) throughout shelf life

“…reported better maintenance of phenol levels in cornelian cherry fruits with MAP treatments. Correia et al . indicated that MAP could be used as a significant tool to increase health‐promoting compounds and shelf life of sweet cherry fruits.…”

“…29 The anthocyanin accumulation in skin may have great contributions to appearance, taste, flavor, aroma, texture, nutritional composition, and antioxidant activity of the fruits. 29,37,41 Fully ripe fruits with a red peel color generally have greater anthocyanin, which is a red color pigment. Thus, Gunduz et al 35 reported greater anthocyanin contents for fully ripe cornelian cherry fruits.…”

“…Similarly, Mohebbi et al 11 reported better maintenance of phenol levels in cornelian cherry fruits with MAP treatments. Correia et al 41 indicated that MAP could be used as a significant tool to increase health-promoting compounds and shelf life of sweet cherry fruits. Ripened cornelian cherry fruits with rich anthocyanin, flavonoids, and phenolics compounds can be used to prevent oxidative stress causing cell deaths and disorders in humans.…”

Influence of Preharvest and Postharvest Applications of Glycine Betaine on Fruit Quality Attributes and Storage Disorders of ‘Lapins’ and ‘Regina’ Cherries

“…However, in this study, 2 or 4 g · L -1 GB in hydro-cooling water applied postharvest did not affect fruit skin color, SSC, or TA of 'Lapins' or 'Regina' cherries, but these treatments markedly reduced FF during storage at 0°C compared with control (Table 1). High FF is strongly preferred for sweet cherry so they are better able to withstand the handling, sorting, packing, storing, and transporting processes (Correia et al, 2017). Loss of FF directly impacts weight loss, off flavors, flesh browning, surface pitting, discoloration of the green stem, and fungal rotting (Kappel et al, 1996;Turner et al, 2005;Zheng et al, 2016).…”

“…Preharvest and postharvest applications of plant growth regulators have been proven to slow the deterioration of cherry quality (Correia et al, 2017;Valero et al, 2011;Zhang and Whiting, 2013). Glycine betaine (GB; N, N, N-trimethylglycine), which is a natural osmoregulator derived from sugar beet molasses, has a crucial role in preventing fruit from chilling injury, oxidative stress, and pathogen growth (Liu et al, 2011;Ragab et al, 2015;Razavi et al, 2018;Shan et al, 2015Shan et al, , 2016.…”