| Title: | Effect of ethanol treatment on the quality and volatiles production of blueberries after harvest |
| Author(s): | Ji Y; Hu W; Jiang A; Xiu Z; Liao J; Yang X; Guan Y; Saren G; Feng K; |
| Address: | "School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China. Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization, Ministry of Education, Dalian, China. College of Life Science, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, China" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1097-0010 (Electronic) 0022-5142 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "BACKGROUND: Blueberries are appreciated by consumers for their rich natural antioxidants and their good nutritional and health functions. However, blueberries are very perishable due to microbial infection and metabolic aging after harvest. Ethanol has been shown to have the effect of controlling postharvest microorganisms and improving storage quality of fruits and vegetables. This study aimed to clarify the effects of ethanol on the appearance quality and flavor attributes of postharvest blueberries. Blueberries were treated with ethanol (250, 500, and 1000 muL L(-1) ) and stored at 0 +/- 0.5 degrees C, 90% relative humidity (RH), for 40 days. RESULTS: The results indicated that ethanol treatment could slow the decline of blueberry firmness and reduce the decay rate significantly in a dose-dependent manner. The soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) of ethanol-treated blueberries increased significantly (P < 0.05), improving the taste of the blueberries. The activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) were stimulated with the accumulation of ethanol in blueberries, which catalyzed the conversion of ethanol, acetaldehyde, and pyruvate, increasing their levels in blueberries. More volatiles, especially esters, were detected in ethanol-treated blueberries, e.g. methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl propanoate, ethyl isobutyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl 3-methyl-2-butenoate, diethyl sebacate, and isopropyl myristate. CONCLUSION: The preservative effect of ethanol on blueberry was significantly affected by ethanol concentration. In this study, the effect of 500 muL L(-1) ethanol fumigation on blueberry was the best in terms of appearance quality (firmness and decay rate) and flavor attributes (SSC, TA, and volatiles). (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry" |
| Keywords: | Blueberry Plants/*chemistry/drug effects Ethanol/*pharmacology Food Preservation/*methods Food Preservatives/*pharmacology Fruit/chemistry/*drug effects Fumigation/methods Humans Quality Control Taste Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis appearance quality; |
| Notes: | "MedlineJi, Yaru Hu, Wenzhong Jiang, Aili Xiu, Zhilong Liao, Jia Yang, Xiaozhe Guan, Yuge Saren, Gaowa Feng, Ke eng 31471923/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ 2016YFD0400903/'Thirteenth Five-Year Plan' for National Key Research and Development program/ Evaluation Study England 2019/07/02 J Sci Food Agric. 2019 Nov; 99(14):6296-6306. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.9904. Epub 2019 Aug 6" |
