The aroma volatile repertoire in strawberry fruit: a review.

Aroma significantly contributes to flavor, which directly affects the commercial quality of strawberries. The strawberry aroma is complex as many kinds of volatile compounds are found in strawberries. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of the constituents and of the biosynthesis of strawberry volatile compounds, and the effect of postharvest treatments on aroma profiles. The characteristic strawberry volatile compounds consist of furanones, such as 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 4-methoxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone; esters, including ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, methyl butanoate, and methyl hexanoate; sulfur compounds such as methanethiol, and terpenoids including linalool and nerolidol. As for postharvest treatment, the present review discusses the overview of aroma volatiles in response to temperature, atmosphere, and exogenous hormones, as well as other treatments including ozone, edible coating, and ultraviolet radiation. The future prospects for strawberry volatile biosynthesis and metabolism are also presented. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Differential expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and transcription factor PcMYB10 in pears (Pyrus communis L.).

Anthocyanin biosynthesis in various plants is affected by environmental conditions and controlled by the transcription level of the corresponding genes. In pears (Pyrus communis cv. 'Wujiuxiang'), anthocyanin biosynthesis is significantly induced during low temperature storage compared with that at room temperature. We further examined the transcriptional levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in 'Wujiuxiang' pears during developmental ripening and temperature-induced storage. The expression of genes that encode flavanone 3-hydroxylase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, anthocyanidin synthase, UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase, and R2R3 MYB transcription factor (PcMYB10) was strongly positively correlated with anthocyanin accumulation in 'Wujiuxiang' pears in response to both developmental and cold-temperature induction. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed the expression patterns of the set of target genes, of which PcMYB10 and most anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were related to the same cluster. The present work may help explore the molecular mechanism that regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and its response to abiotic stress at the transcriptional level in plants.