Storage of halved strawberry fruits affects aroma, phytochemical content and gene expression, and is affected by pre-harvest factors

Abstract

IntroductionStrawberry fruit are highly valued for their aroma which develops during ripening. However, they have a short shelf-life. Low temperature storage is routinely used to extend shelf-life for transport and storage in the supply chain, however cold storage can also affect fruit aroma. Some fruit continue to ripen during chilled storage; however, strawberries are a non-climacteric fruit and hence ripening postharvest is limited. Although most strawberry fruit is sold whole, halved fruit is also used in ready to eat fresh fruit salads which are of increasing consumer demand and pose additional challenges to fresh fruit storage.MethodsTo better understand the effects of cold storage, volatilomic and transcriptomic analyses were applied to halved Fragaria x ananassa cv. Elsanta fruit stored at 4 or 8°C for up to 12 days over two growing seasons.Results and discussionThe volatile organic compound (VOC) profile differed between 4 or 8°C on most days of storage. Major differences were detected between the two different years of harvest indicating that aroma change at harvest and during storage is highly dependent on environmental factors during growth. The major component of the aroma profile in both years was esters. Over 3000 genes changed in expression over 5 days of storage at 8°C in transcriptome analysis. Overall, phenylpropanoid metabolism, which may also affect VOCs, and starch metabolism were the most significantly affected pathways. Genes involved in autophagy were also differentially expressed. Expression of genes from 43 different transcription factor (TF) families changed in expression: mostly they were down-regulated but NAC and WRKY family genes were mainly up-regulated. Given the high ester representation amongst VOCs, the down-regulation of an alcohol acyl transferase (AAT) during storage is significant. A total of 113 differentially expressed genes were co-regulated with the AAT gene, including seven TFs. These may be potential AAT regulators.

Biochemical and molecular changes in peach fruit exposed to cold stress conditions

“…Here, VOC profile, gene expression and changes during cold storage were shown to be cultivar-specific, and consequently potential markers for cold storage may be obtained from a given VOC dataset. However, VOC profiles can change across seasons even for fruit of the same variety grown in the same location (Baldwin et al 2023;Spadafora et al 2019) hence further work is needed to assess VOC profiles to identify robust markers.…”

Overview of the distinctive characteristics of strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry in berries, berry wines, and berry spirits

“…The production of red berry wines is also considered a viable option due to the added value of low-alcohol beverages, the simplicity of the fermentation process, and, importantly, the inherent bioactive properties of the berries themselves (Mendes-Ferreira et al, 2019). Is important to note that the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of red berries vary considerably due to factors such as interand intraspecific diversity (Cerezo et al, 2020;Du et al, 2012), cultivation techniques (Hakala et al, 2003), fertilization, and locations (Olbricht et al, 2011;Recamales et al, 2007), climate conditions (Guevara-Terán et al, 2022), as well as the timing of harvesting and the degree of ripeness (Baldwin et al, 2023;Giampieri et al, 2012;Kårlund et al, 2014;Mahmood et al, 2012;Perdones et al, 2016;Yan et al, 2023), which could lead to different bioactive properties. Therefore, in this review, mean values were used in order to facilitate the comparison and discussion about the potential of the three berries.…”