Effects of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose and Sulfated Rice Bran Polysaccharide Coating on Quality Maintenance of Cherry Tomatoes during Cold Storage.

Cherry tomatoes are easily damaged due to their high moisture content. A composite coating was developed to delay deterioration and prolong storage by mixing antibacterial sulfated rice bran polysaccharides (SRBP) and edible hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with film-forming properties. The effects of HEC, HEC-5% SRBP, and HEC-20% SRBP preservative coatings on the maintenance of the quality of cherry tomatoes (LycopersivonesculentumMill., Xiaohuang F2) during cold storage were investigated. The HEC-20% SRBP coating significantly reduced tomato deterioration and weight loss, delayed firmness loss, decreased polyphenol oxidase activity, and increased peroxidase activity. Furthermore, cherry tomatoes treated with HEC-20% SRBP maintained high levels of titratable acid, ascorbic acid, total phenols, and carotenoids. Cherry tomatoes coated with HEC-SRBP also had higher levels of volatile substances and a greater variety of these substances compared to uncoated tomatoes. In conclusion, the HEC-20% SRBP coating effectively delayed deterioration and preserved cherry tomatoes' nutrient and flavor qualities during postharvest cold storage, suggesting it could be a novel food preservation method.

Heat shock treatment maintains the quality attributes of postharvest jujube fruits and delays their senescence process during cold storage.

The effects of heat shock (HT), 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), or their combination (HT + 1-MCP) on the quality of fresh jujube fruits during cold storage were studied. Among them, HT showed the best preservation effect on jujube fruits, which was more effective than others in inhibiting the increase of red index, decay incidence, and weight loss and delaying the decrease of firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and ascorbic acid (AsA) content. Besides, it could delay the degradation rate of the cell wall to maintain the integrity of cell membrane, and keep the high activity of active oxygen scavenging enzymes. During cold storage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electrolyte leakage (REL) of the HT group were significantly lower than those of the control group, 1-MCP, and HT + 1-MCP group (p < .05), while superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities were significantly higher than those of other groups (p < .05). It was concluded that the postharvest HT treatment could effectively delay the senescence and decay of jujube fruits. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Jujube fruits have high nutritional value used for food and medicine. However, they are not tolerant to storage after harvest, resulting in high economic losses. Therefore, it is of great significance to find a suitable method to maintain the quality of jujube fruits. Our results revealed the effect of HT, 1-MCP, and their combination on the quality maintenance of jujube fruits, and found that HT could effectively maintain the quality of them, which could be used as an effective method for keeping jujube fruits fresh.

Stay-green: a potentiality in plant breeding / Stay-green: uma potencialidade no melhoramento genético de plantas

Looking at the new demands of the global agricultural scenario, the search for more productive, efficient and stress adapted genotypes has attracted attention of plant breeders regarding plants with improved physiological characteristics. Therefore, the stay-green trait has taken proeminence as an important strategy to overcome the current yield plateaus allied with yield adaptability and stability. This review has aimed to bring light the main aspects of the stay-green character, showing their employment potential of plant breeding.

Observando as novas demandas do cenário agrícola mundial, a busca por genótipos mais produtivos, eficientes e adaptados a estresses tem chamado a atenção de melhoristas de plantas na análise de plantas com melhores características fisiológicas. Nesse contexto, o caráter stay-green vem tomando destaque, como uma importante estratégia em superar os atuais tetos de produtividade, aliados à adaptabilidade e estabilidade. Esta revisão tem com objetivo trazer à luz os principais aspectos relacionados ao caráter stay-green, mostrando suas potencialidades de emprego no melhoramento genético de plantas.