The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), which contains high levels of health-promoting compounds, has received much attention in recent decades. Fruit storage potential ranges from 3 to 4 months in air and from 4 to 6 months in Controlled Atmospheres (CA) with 3–5% oxygen and 10–15% carbon dioxide. Storage life is limited by decay, chilling injury, weight loss (WL), and husk scald. In particular, husk scald (HS) limits pomegranate long-term storage at favorable temperatures. HS appears as skin browning which expands from stem end towards the blossom end during handling or long-term storage (10–12 weeks) at 6–10 °C. Even though HS symptoms are limited to external appearance, it may still significantly reduce pomegranate fruit marketability. A number of postharvest treatments have been proposed to prevent husk scald, including atmospheric modifications, intermittent warming, coatings, and exposure to 1-MCP. Long-term storage may induce phenolic compounds accumulation, affect organelles membranes, and activate browning enzymes such as polyphenol oxidases (PPO) and peroxidases (POD). Due to oxidation of tannins and phenolics, scalding becomes visible. There is no complete understanding of the etiology and biochemistry of HS. This review discusses the hypothesized mechanism of HS based on recent research, its association to postharvest treatments, and their possible targets.

The potential of hyperspectral imaging for the prediction of the internal composition of goji berries was investigated. The prediction performances of models obtained in the Visible-Near Infrared (VIS-NIR) (400–1000 nm) and in the Near Infrared (NIR) (900–1700 nm) regions were compared. Analyzed constituents included Vitamin C, total antioxidant, phenols, anthocyanin, soluble solids content (SSC), and total acidity (TA). For vitamin C and AA, partial least square regression (PLSR) combined with different data pretreatments and wavelength selection resulted in a satisfactory prediction in the NIR region obtaining the R2pred value of 0.91. As for phenols, SSC, and TA, a better performance was obtained in the VIS-NIR region yielding the R2pred values of 0.62, 0.94, and 0.84, respectively. However, the prediction of total antioxidant and anthocyanin content did not give satisfactory results. Conclusively, hyperspectral imaging can be a useful tool for the prediction of the main constituents of the goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.).

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