Melatonin Retarded the Browning Process of Litchi by Regulating the Metabolism of Phenolic Compounds and Reactive Oxygen Species

Exogenous melatonin delays oxidative browning in litchi during cold storage by regulating biochemical attributes and gene expression

“…The bright peel color of litchi is attributed to the anthocyanin pigment ( Zhang et al., 2018 ). Comparable to our findings, Xie et al. (2022) reported that 0.2 and 0.6 mmol/L MT treatment in “Feizixiao” litchi preserved anthocyanin content at 4°C storage.…”

“…Weight loss in melatonin-treated fruits was happening at a slower rate compared to control fruits since melatonin treatment is known to preserve cell structure, increase cell rigidity, and boost the process of lignification, all of which substantially reduced respiration ( Onik et al., 2021 ) and transpiration losses. Using 0.2 mmol/L and 0.6 mmol/L of melatonin, Xie et al. (2022) obtained equivalent results of decreased weight loss in “Feizixiao” litchi during storage at 4°C.…”

“…The results revealed that 0.5 mM melatonin application effectively reduced the extent of pericarp browning along with reduction in the activity of browning enzymes. Various studies involving melatonin treatment has shown to effectively enhance the antioxidant activity, which slows down the oxidation and anthocyanin degradation process, thereby reducing the development of brown spots ( Xie et al., 2022 ). Melatonin therapy has also been shown to successfully inhibit the rate of enzymatic browning in litchi ( Zhang et al., 2018 ; Marak et al., 2023 ) and rambutan ( Wei et al., 2022 ).…”

“…Melatonin is an excellent antioxidant that reduces the level of free radicals in the plant tissues ( Arnao and Hernández-Ruiz, 2015 ) and boosts the preservation of other non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds such as anthocyanin, phenols, and flavonoids ( Xie et al., 2022 ). The TPC decreased over time, regardless of melatonin treatment ( Table 11 ).…”

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“…Weight loss in melatonin-treated fruits was happening at a slower rate compared to control fruits since melatonin treatment is known to preserve cell structure, increase cell rigidity, and boost the process of lignification, all of which substantially reduced respiration (Onik et al, 2021) and transpiration losses. Using 0.2 mmol/L and 0.6 mmol/L of melatonin, Xie et al (2022) obtained equivalent results of decreased weight loss in "Feizixiao" litchi during storage at 4°C. Reduced weight loss was reported after melatonin treatment in various fruit crops such as peach (Gao et al, 2016), strawberry (Liu et al, 2018), sweet orange (Ma et al, 2021), loquat (Wang et al, 2021), mango (Njie et al, 2022), and rambutan (Wei et al, 2022).…”