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. 2024 Aug 15:15:1435066.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1435066. eCollection 2024.

Mechanism of exogenous methyl jasmonate in regulating the quality of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnuts

Keyan Lu #  1 , Xinping Wu #  1 , Ruimin Yuan  1 , Yang Yi  1   2 , Limei Wang  3 , Youwei Ai  1 , Hongxun Wang  2   3 , Ting Min  1   2
Affiliations

Mechanism of exogenous methyl jasmonate in regulating the quality of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnuts

Keyan Lu et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Fresh-cut Chinese water chestnuts (CWCs) are susceptible to yellowing and browning during storage due to mechanical damage and the loss of protective outer skin, adversely affecting their marketability and shelf life. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is currently extensively used for food preservation, but it has not been used in Chinese water chestnuts. This study investigated the effect of MeJA treatment on the quality of fresh-cut CWCs. Fresh-cut CWCs immersed in 20 μM MeJA solution for 10 min and stored at 10°C for 5 d effectively delayed the yellowing process, reduced the respiration rate, and minimized the weight and soluble solids loss during storage. In addition, MeJA treatment induced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), which improved the antioxidant capacity of fresh-cut CWCs and inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Meanwhile, MeJA treatment inhibited the activities of phenylalanine aminotransferase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD). The results of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that MeJA down-regulated the expression of CwCHS1, CwCHS2, CwCHS3 and CwCHI2 in freshly cut CWCs and inhibited the accumulation of flavonoids, thus delaying the surface discoloration of freshly cut CWCs.

Keywords: Chinese water chestnut; fresh-cut; methyl jasmonate; quality; yellowing.

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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
The effect of MeJA treatment on the appearance (A), browning degree (B), color change (C-E), and ,ΔE value (F) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The effect of MeJA treatment on the soluble solids content (A), weight loss rate (B), O2 content (C) and CO2 content (D) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The effect of MeJA treatment on the soluble phenolics content (A), soluble quinone content (B), and total flavonoid content (C) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The effect of MeJA treatment on the activities of PAL (A), PPO (B), and POD (C) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The effect of MeJA treatment on the OH·- generation rate (A), O2·- generation rate (B), H2O2 content (C) and MDA content (D) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The effect of MeJA treatment on the activities of SOD (A) and CAT (B) of fresh-cut CWCs. Error bars represent the standard error of three biological replicates. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Gene expression of CwCHS1 (A), CwCHS2 (B), CwCHS3 (C), and CwCHI2 (D) in MeJA-treated fresh-cut CWCs. *、**、***: represent the level of difference between MeJA group and CK group is p < 0.05、p < 0.01、p < 0.001, respectively.
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