Using jasmonates and salicylates to reduce losses within the fruit supply chain

Abstract

The fresh produce industry is constantly growing, due to increasing consumer demand. The shelf-life of some fruit, however, is relatively short, limited by microbial contamination or visual, textural and nutritional quality loss. Thus, techniques for reducing undesired microbial contamination, spoilage and decay, as well as maintaining product's visual, textural and nutritional quality are in high demand at all steps within the supply chain. The postharvest use of signalling molecules, i.e. jasmonates and salicylates seems to have unexplored potential. The focus of this review is on the effects of treatment with jasmonates and salicylates on the fresh produce quality, defined by decay incidence and severity, chilling injury, maintenance of texture, visual quality, taste and aroma, and nutritional content. Postharvest treatments with jasmonates and salicylates have the ability to reduce decay by increasing fruit resistance to diseases and reducing chilling injury in numerous products.These treatments also possess the ability to improve other quality characteristics, i.e. appearance, texture maintenance and nutritional content. Furthermore, they can easily be combined with other treatments, e.g. heat treatment, ultrasound treatment. A good understanding of all the benefits and limitations related to the postharvest use of jasmonates and salicylates is needed, and relevant information has been reviewed in this paper.

Maintaining postharvest quality of cold stored ‘Hass’ avocados by altering the fatty acids content and composition with the use of natural volatile compounds – methyl jasmonate and methyl salicylate

“…Reduced chilling injury in avocado fruit exposed to MeJA and MeSA is in agreement with the majority of studies reviewed by Glowacz and Rees where numerous tropical and subtropical fruit were exposed to MeJA or MeSA prior to storage, and also with those where ‘Hass’ avocado fruit were dipped in 2.5 µmol L −1 MeJA solution for 30 s prior to storage …”

Methyl salicylate delays peel yellowing of ‘Zaosu’ pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) during storage by regulating chlorophyll metabolism and maintaining chloroplast ultrastructure

“…Exogenous salicylates, such as SA, MeSA and ASA (acetylsalicylic acid), have been applied in postharvest fruit to improve their biotic stress tolerance. To date, many studies have shown that postharvest treatment with MeSA can delay fruit ripening and senescence, improve fruit color, appearance, texture, and other quality characteristics, and extend their storability during postharvest storage, e.g. sweet cherry, pomegranate, tomato, and pear .…”

Preharvest treatments with salicylates enhance nutrient and antioxidant compounds in plum at harvest and after storage

“…In this sense, salicylic acid (SA) and its derivatives acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and methylsalicylic acid (MeSA) are now considered hormonal compounds with important roles in a wide range of physiological processes, such as inducing systemic acquired resistance, modulation of opening and closing of stomata, flowering, seed germination and providing plant tolerance against different kinds of stress . In addition, postharvest treatments with salicylates have been shown to reduce decay (by increasing fruit resistance to diseases) and chilling injury in numerous commodities as well as to improve other quality properties, such as appearance, texture maintenance and nutritional content , . Thus postharvest treatments with SA maintained higher quality attributes in apricots, as well as ASA and MeSA treatments on pomegranate,, SA and ASA treatments on sweet cherry or SA treatments on kiwifruit, among others.…”