Physiological and proteomic approaches to address the active role of ozone in kiwifruit post-harvest ripening

Abstract

Post-harvest ozone application has recently been shown to inhibit the onset of senescence symptoms on fleshy fruit and vegetables; however, the exact mechanism of action is yet unknown. To characterize the impact of ozone on the post-harvest performance of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. ‘Hayward’), fruits were cold stored (0 °C, 95% relative humidity) in a commercial ethylene-free room for 1, 3, or 5 months in the absence (control) or presence of ozone (0.3 μl l−1) and subsequently were allowed to ripen at a higher temperature (20 °C), herein defined as the shelf-life period, for up to 12 days. Ozone blocked ethylene production, delayed ripening, and stimulated antioxidant and anti-radical activities of fruits. Proteomic analysis using 1D-SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry identified 102 kiwifruit proteins during ripening, which are mainly involved in energy, protein metabolism, defence, and cell structure. Ripening induced protein carbonylation in kiwifruit but this effect was depressed by ozone. A set of candidate kiwifruit proteins that are sensitive to carbonylation was also discovered. Overall, the present data indicate that ozone improved kiwifruit post-harvest behaviour, thus providing a first step towards understanding the active role of this molecule in fruit ripening.

Different ROS-Scavenging Properties of Flavonoids Determine Their Abilities to Extend Shelf Life of Tomato

“…The general antioxidant capacity of fleshy fruit can be enhanced by different breeding or bioengineering strategies (Rousseaux et al, 2005;Nambeesan et al, 2010;Minas et al, 2012;Zidenga et al, 2012;Zhang et al, 2013). Our results show that increasing the total antioxidant capacity of tomato is an efficient way to delay the overripening of fruit.…”

Mitochondrial ascorbate–glutathione cycle and proteomic analysis of carbonylated proteins during tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening

“…This PTM is used as a marker of oxidative stress, suggesting that oxidative processes may drive tomato fruit ripening. A significant increase on carbonylated proteins was also reported during kiwi fruit ripening (Minas et al, 2012) and a considerable increase in carbonyl groups levels was observed in mitochondria from old peach fruit compared to young peach fruit (Qin, Wang, Liu, Li, & Tian, 2009). On another hand, factors such as cultivar, harvesting period and environmental conditions influence the antioxidant and development of oxidative processes including protein carbonylation in pepper fruits (Martí et al, 2011).…”

Influence of continuous exposure to gaseous ozone on the quality of red bell peppers, cucumbers and zucchini

“…The content of total phenolics was increased in red bell peppers exposed to ozone at 0.1 µmol mol -1 (Table 4), while it was not affected in their counterparts exposed to ozone at 0.3 µmol mol -1 . Total phenolics content has previously been found to be increased in ozone treated banana (Alothman et al, 2010), kiwi (Minas et al, 2012), papaya and pineapple (Alothman et al, 2010) when compared with control fruit stored in clean air. Increase in phenolics was also reported (Yeoh et al, 2014) when papaya was treated with gaseous ozone at 9.2 µmol mol -1 for 10 or 20 min prior to storage, but not when the exposure time (30 min) was too long.…”

“…Even though, no significant difference was found between the samples, these findings may suggest that there is a potential to slow the ripening of red bell peppers if the dose of ozone is properly adjusted. Fruit ripening has already been found to be delayed in kiwi continuously exposed to ozone at 0.3 µmol mol -1 (Minas et al, 2012) and papaya fruit exposed to ozone at 1.5-3.5 µmol mol -1 for 96 h but not when the concentration of ozone was higher, inhibiting the development of full ripe colour and resulting in tissue damage due to its strong oxidizing activity and thus supporting the growth of fungal pathogens. This underlines the fact that only at certain levels of ozone shelf-life may be extended.…”