The effects of preharvest melatonin treatment, applied as foliar spray at 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mM concentration at three key points of fruit development (pit hardening, initial colour changes and 3 days before harvesting), on crop yield and fruit quality properties at harvest was evaluated in three sweet cherry cultivars, ‘Prime Giant’, ‘Lapins’ and ‘Sweet Heart’, and two years, 2019 and 2020. The results showed that melatonin treatment had no effect on crop yield, except for the ‘Lapins’ cultivar, in which increases were found. However, decayed and cracked fruit percentage was decreased in all cultivars in 2020 when adverse weather conditions occurred and commercial crop yield was increased, especially for 0.3 mM dose. Fruit quality traits at harvest, such as fruit weight, colour, firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acidity, were enhanced by melatonin treatments in all sweet cherry cultivars and in both years. Moreover, bioactive compounds, such as total phenolics and total and individual anthocyanins, were also found at higher levels in fruit from melatonin-treated trees with respect to controls. Thus, taking into account all these effects, 0.3 mM melatonin foliar spray, at three key points of fruit developmental stages, could be a useful tool to improve crop yield and quality traits of sweet cherries, especially their content on bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties and health beneficial effects.

With the aim to study the effect of melatonin treatment of pomegranate trees on crop yield and fruit quality at harvest and during storage, two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years: 2017 and 2018. In the first year, trees were treated with melatonin (at 0.1 and 1 mM) along the developmental growth cycle and fruit quality parameters were evaluated at harvest and during storage at 10 °C for 90 days. Treatments with melatonin led to an increase of crop yield (number of fruits per tree and kg per tree), as well as higher fruit quality attributes, such as fruit size (diameter and weight), color, total soluble solids (TSS), and total acidity (TA), especially with the 0.1 mM dose. Then, in the second year, melatonin at 0.1 mM was selected for repeating the pre-harvest treatments with similar results in terms of crop yield and fruit quality parameters. During storage, pomegranate fruit treated with 0.1 mM melatonin maintained higher quality attributes than controls, such as TSS, TA, and firmness and lower weight losses were observed in fruit from treated trees, in both trials. In addition, the content of the major sugars (glucose and fructose) and organic acids (malic, succinic and ascorbic acid) were higher in melatonin-treated than in non-treated fruit. These results suggest that pre-harvest melatonin treatment could be a useful tool to increase pomegranate crop yield as well as fruit quality parameters at harvest and their maintenance during storage due to an effect of melatonin on reducing the postharvest ripening process.

The effect of melatonin pomegranate tree treatments on fruit quality and bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity at harvest and during storage at 10 °C for 60 days was assayed in two consecutive years, 2019 and 2020. In the first year, trees were treated with 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mM of melatonin along the developmental fruit growth cycle, and results showed that bioactive compounds (total phenolics and total and individual anthocyanins) and antioxidant activity at harvest were higher in fruits from melatonin-treated trees than in controls. Other fruit quality parameters, such as firmness, total soluble solids and aril red colour, were also increased as a consequence of melatonin treatment. In fruit from control tress, firmness and acidity levels decreased during storage, while increases occurred on total soluble solids, leading to fruit quality reductions. These changes were delayed, and even maintenance of total acidity was observed, in fruit from melatonin-treated trees with respect to controls, resulting in a fruit shelf-life increase. Moreover, concentration of phenolics and anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were maintained at higher levels in treated than in control fruits during the whole storage period. In general, all the mentioned effects were found at the highest level with the 0.1 mM melatonin dose, and then it was selected for repeating the experiment in the second year and results of the first year were confirmed. Thus, 0.1 mM melatonin treatment could be a useful tool to enhance aril content on bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity and health beneficial effects and to improve quality traits of pomegranate fruit, at harvest and during postharvest storage.

Rainfall occurring during the developmental stages of sweet cherries on the tree can lead to significant preharvest losses, primarily due to fruit cracking. Certain cultivars exhibit a higher susceptibility to such losses, particularly when persistent rains coincide with advanced phenological stages. The current study aims to investigate the efficacy of preharvest methyl jasmonate (MeJA) applications at harvest and during distinct developmental ripening stages in mitigating sweet cherry cracking at harvest and on-tree ripening. Preharvest foliar applications of 0.5 mM MeJA were applied across various sweet cherry cultivars, including ‘Prime Giant’, ‘Early Lory’, ‘Sweetheart’, and ‘Staccato’. By conducting this experiment over four growing seasons, we evaluated the impact of this natural elicitor on the cracking tolerance of these cultivars. The results of our analysis indicate that MeJA preharvest treatments effectively reduce fruit cracking, enhancing abiotic stress tolerance. Additionally, these treatments induce a general delay in fruit ripening on the tree across the examined cultivars. This delayed ripening effect is reflected in several quality parameters at harvest, such as the fruit firmness, external colour, total soluble solids, and total acidity. These parameters in the MeJA-treated fruit were delayed compared to the control fruit or remained unaffected for the total acidity. Conversely, the MeJA treatments delayed the accumulation of total polyphenols, exhibiting a minimal impact on reducing pedicel browning. The enhanced tolerance to cracking and delayed ripening attributed to the MeJA preharvest treatments could be helpful for plot management. Consequently, these MeJA-based preharvest treatments hold potential as valuable tools in adapting to climate change and mitigating abiotic stress in sweet cherry.

No abstract

GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid with diverse effects on plant development, including delayed senescence in horticultural commodities. The main goal of this research was to investigate the impact of GABA applications to pomegranate trees on the ‘Mollar de Elche’ quality traits and antioxidant compounds during storage for 60 days at 10 °C. In the 2019 experiment, pomegranate trees received foliar sprays of GABA at 10-, 50- or 100-mM concentrations at three stages of fruit development. Pomegranates harvested from GABA-treated trees exhibited enhanced fruit firmness, titratable acidity, the red color of skin and aril, and higher levels of total phenolics and total and specific anthocyanins compared to those obtained from the control group. These quality traits were maintained at higher levels during 60 days of preservation at 10 °C, and the most important effects were observed for 100 mM dose. In a 2020 experiment, GABA was sprayed at a 100 mM dose, and results were confirmed, showing a retard of the ripening process in pomegranates from GABA-treated trees concerning controls for two months of storage and an extension of their shelf life (with optimal quality traits appreciated by consumers) from 30 to 60 days. Moreover, the increase in anthocyanin content due to GABA treatments resulted in redder fruits, which would appeal more to consumers and have improved health benefits.

The goals of this research were determined the proximate composition, physico-chemical, techno-functional properties, the polyphenolic profile, the organic acids and sugar content and the antioxidant capacities of flours obtained from almonds skins var. comuna (ASFC) and var. fritz (ASFF) coproducts produced in Turrón industry. The chemical composition and physico-chemical properties (pH, water activity and color) were determined. The water holding, oil holding and swelling capacities were also determined, as well as the polyphenolic profile. For the antioxidant capacity, four different assays were used namely: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay (DPPH•); Ferrous ions chelating activity (FIC); Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assay (ABTS•+). The flours obtained from ASFC and ASFF had a high content of dietary fiber (70.50 and 69.83 g/100 g, respectively). The polyphenolic profile, determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography, identified 21 and 19 polyphenolic compounds in both ASFC and ASFF, being epicatechin and catechin the most abundant compounds. In reference to the antioxidant capacity regards, with all methods assayed except FRAP, ASFC had higher antioxidant activity than ASFF. These coproducts show good technological and antioxidant properties, which makes them a good alternative for its use in the development of new foods.

Kiwifruit, like many other fruits, is susceptible to dehydration, leading to texture changes and a loss of flavour during storage. Exposing kiwifruit to suboptimal temperatures can control these changes but can cause internal browning. Postharvest treatments with substances such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) are some of the most successful commercial technologies in the conservation of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, there has been a growing interest among researchers in alternative technologies based in postharvest treatments with plant growth regulators. In this sense, melatonin (MT) has been shown to improve fruit quality, extending shelf life. The aim of this study was to compare these two different technologies applied at postharvest to evaluate the impact on kiwifruit quality. Optimal 1-MCP fumigations and MT solutions were assayed on ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit under similar conditions. Quality parameters were evaluated at 14-day intervals during 84 days of cold storage plus 5 days at 20 °C. The results showed that both treatments were similarly effective in maintaining quality parameters such as weight loss, respiration, firmness, and acidity. Although 1-MCP treatments delayed the evolution of kiwifruit colour and chlorophyll degradation as compared to MT, MT treatments controlled chilling injury better than 1-MCP. This effect was not related to a greater cell membrane integrity since fruit batches treated with 1-MCP were the ones that showed the lowest electrolyte leakage level. In conclusion, both treatments maintained fruit quality and delayed ripening in a similar way. In this sense, the results suggest that MT immersion treatments could act as efficient delaying senescence as fumigations with 1-MCP maintaining kiwifruit quality during refrigerated storage.