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. 2022 Oct 17:13:1024909.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1024909. eCollection 2022.

Exogenous salicylic acid regulates organic acids metabolism in postharvest blueberry fruit

Bo Jiang  1   2   3   4   5 , Xiangjun Fang  2   3   4   5 , Daqi Fu  6 , Weijie Wu  2   3   4   5 , Yanchao Han  2   3   4   5 , Hangjun Chen  2   3   4   5 , Ruiling Liu  2   3   4   5 , Haiyan Gao  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations

Exogenous salicylic acid regulates organic acids metabolism in postharvest blueberry fruit

Bo Jiang et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Fruit acidity is an essential factor affecting blueberry organoleptic quality. The organic acid content in blueberry fruit mainly contributes to fruit acidity. This study aims to evaluate the effect of exogenous salicylic acid (SA), the principal metabolite of aspirin, on the organoleptic quality and organic acid metabolism in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Ait, 'Powderblue') during cold storage (4 °C). Results showed that SA-treated fruit reduced fruit decay and weight loss delayed fruit softening, and decline of total soluble solids (TSS). TA and total organic acid amounts stayed the same during the late storage period in SA-treated fruit. Four kinds of organic acid components, malic acid, quinic acid, citric acid, and succinic acid, were at higher levels in fruit treated by SA as compared to control. SA enhanced the activities of PEPC, NAD-MDH, and CS to promote the synthesis of malic acid and citric acid. Meanwhile, the activities of NADP-ME, ACL, and ACO, which participated in the degradation of malic acid and citric acid, were inhibited by SA. qPCR results also showed that the expression of VcPEPC, VcNAD-MDH, and VcCS genes were upregulated. In contrast, SA downregulated the expression of VcNADP-ME, VcACL, and VcACO genes. In conclusion, SA could regulate the key genes and enzymes that participated in organic acids metabolism to maintain the freshness of blueberry during cold storage, therefore minimizing the economic loss.

Keywords: blueberry fruit; organic acid metabolism; organoleptic quality; postharvest storage; salicylic acid.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of Salicylic acid treatment on fruit quality of blueberry during cold storage. (A), Weight loss; (B), Decay incidence; (C), Firmness; (D), Total soluble solids (TSS). Error bars represent the standard deviations of the means (n=3). The asterisks show a significant difference between SA-treated and control fruit (P < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of Salicylic acid treatment on organic acid of blueberry during cold storage. (A), Titratable acidity (TA); (B), total organic acid; (C), Malic acid; (D), Quinic acid; (E), Citric acid; (F), Succinic acid. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the means (n=3). The asterisks show a significant difference between SA-treated fruit and control fruit (P < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of salicylic acid treatment on enzyme activities participated in organic acid metabolism of blueberry during cold storage. (A), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC); (B), NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH); (C), NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME); (D), Citrate synthase (CS); (E), ATP-citrate synthase (ACL); (F), cytoplasm aconitase (ACO). Error bars represent the standard deviations of the means (n=3). The asterisks show a significant difference between SA-treated fruit and control fruit (P < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of Salicylic acid treatment on genes expressions involved in organic acid metabolism of blueberry during cold storage. (A), VcPEPC; (B), VcNAD-MDH; (C), VcNADP-ME; (D), VcCS; (E) VcACL; (F), VcACO. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the means (n=3). The different lowercase letters indicate the significant differences between SA-treated and control fruit at each sampling time (P<0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Correlation analysis of indicators involved in organic acid metabolism. The Correlation in all indicators was conducted by Pearson Correlation Analysis. The value in the circle represents the Pearson correlation coefficient between the heading of the column and the row. The closer the value is near to 1 or -1, the greater the correlation. Red color represents positive correlation; blue represents negative correlation.
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