Phenolic profile associated with chilling tolerance induced by the application of a hot water treatment in bell pepper fruit

Abstract

Hot water treatment (HT) has proved to alleviate chilling injury (CI) in bell pepper and other Solanaceae species, this has been associated with the presence of metabolites such as sugars and polyamines, which protect the plasmatic membrane. However, it is unknown if the phenolic compounds in bell pepper play a role in the CI tolerance induced by the application of a HT. The aim of this study was to identify the specific phenolics associated with induced CI tolerance in bell pepper by HT (53 °C, 1 to 3 min). Fruit treated for 1 min (HT‐1 min) exhibited CI tolerance (the lowest symptom development, electrolyte leakage, and vitamin C loss) and was the chosen treatment for further experiments. The phenolic composition was affected by HT‐1 min and CI. Phenolics presented a strong correlation with the antioxidant activity. In fruit with CI tolerance, the concentration of seven compounds was increased, being quercetin‐O‐rhamnoside‐O‐hexoside and chlorogenic acid the most remarkable. Quercetin‐3‐O‐rhamnoside was accumulated only in fruit with induced tolerance, meanwhile orientin was particularly sensitive to heat and cold exposure. Thus, HT‐1 min (53 °C, 1 min) is a useful technology to induce CI tolerance in bell pepper and such tolerance is associated with the phenolic composition that may reduce the prevalence of oxidative stress during the storage under CI conditions.Practical ApplicationPhenolics induced by CI and HT may be useful to detect early stages of heat and chilling injuries in bell pepper and prevent the negative effect of such stresses even before its harvest and during commercial storage. Additionally, the phenolics associated with CI tolerance may be used as markers in breeding programs to create new chilling resistant cultivars.

Advances in Postharvest Disinfestation of Fruits and Vegetables Using Hot Water Treatment Technology-Updates from Africa

“…Not so many references are available in the literature for either disinfection of pathogens or disinfestation of insects in bell pepper in Africa most probably due to its susceptibility to heat and poor equipment to conduct such delicate work. At the world stage a couple of references are available notably on enhancing quality before cold treatment or disinfection [37,[58][59][60][61][62][63]. In the African context, bell pepper was subjected to HWT at 50°C for 3 min before being stored in controlled atmosphere packaging (75).…”

The Influence of Physical Treatments on Phytochemical Changes in Fresh Produce after Storage and Marketing

“…The hotwater treatment has also been proven to alleviate chilling injury in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and other Solanaceae species. This phenomenon has been associated with the presence of metabolites such as sugars and polyamines, which protect the plasmic membrane [47]. Immersing pepper fruit for 1 min into hot water at 53 • C reduced vitamin C loss and induced chilling tolerance, which was associated with a higher phenolic content during 21 days of storage at 5 • C plus 7 days at 21 • C [47].…”

“…This phenomenon has been associated with the presence of metabolites such as sugars and polyamines, which protect the plasmic membrane [47]. Immersing pepper fruit for 1 min into hot water at 53 • C reduced vitamin C loss and induced chilling tolerance, which was associated with a higher phenolic content during 21 days of storage at 5 • C plus 7 days at 21 • C [47]. The hot-water treatment (52 • C for 5 min) of mature, green harvested tomatoes applied in combination with ethylene at 30 • C for 24, 48 or 72 h or 35 • C for 24, 48 or 72 h followed by the completion of ripening at 20 • C provided a synergistic effect, promoting color development and increasing the antioxidant content of the ripe fruit [32].…”

Antioxidant enzymatic changes in bell pepper fruit associated with chilling injury tolerance induced by hot water

“…Heat treatment can activate a system of elimination of ROS that involves antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, phenolics and antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase (Endo et al, 2019;López-López et al, 2018;Sala & Lafuente, 2000;Sapitnitskaya et al, 2006). The implementation of treatments such as hot water (Fallik et al, 1999;López-Velázquez et al, 2020;Raffo et al, 2007), have been used to reduce CI susceptibility in bell pepper.…”

“…The application of HWT for a short period of time (55°C for 1 min; 53°C for 4 min; 45°C for 3 min, 53°C for 2 min) have been successfully used to prevent deterioration of bell pepper, reducing fruit dehydration and maintaining its marketability (Endo et al, 2019;Fallik et al, 1999;González-Aguilar et al, 2000;Rodoni et al, 2016). In addition, this treatment reduced decay caused by Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata (Fallik et al, 1999;López-Velázquez et al, 2020;Raffo et al, 2007). However, for this to occur, the exposure time must be taken care of, since in some cases HWT for short times can cause little CI tolerance, heat damage, and decay of the fruit.…”