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. 2025 Aug 3;26(15):7497.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26157497.

Effects of ε-Poly-L-Lysine/Chitosan Composite Coating on the Storage Quality, Reactive Oxygen Species Metabolism, and Membrane Lipid Metabolism of Tremella fuciformis

Junzheng Sun  1   2   3 , Yingying Wei  1   2   3 , Longxiang Li  1   2   3 , Mengjie Yang  1   2   3   4 , Yusha Liu  1   2   3   4 , Qiting Li  1   2   3   4 , Shaoxiong Zhou  1   2   3   4 , Chunmei Lai  1   2   3   5 , Junchen Chen  1   2   3 , Pufu Lai  1   2   3
Affiliations

Effects of ε-Poly-L-Lysine/Chitosan Composite Coating on the Storage Quality, Reactive Oxygen Species Metabolism, and Membrane Lipid Metabolism of Tremella fuciformis

Junzheng Sun et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a composite coating composed of 150 mg/L ε-Poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) and 5 g/L chitosan (CTS) in extending the shelf life and maintaining the postharvest quality of fresh Tremella fuciformis. Freshly harvested T. fuciformis were treated by surface spraying, with distilled water serving as the control. The effects of the coating on storage quality, physicochemical properties, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, and membrane lipid metabolism were evaluated during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. The results showed that the ε-PL/CTS composite coating significantly retarded quality deterioration, as evidenced by reduced weight loss, maintained whiteness and color, and higher retention of soluble sugars, soluble solids, and soluble proteins. The coating also effectively limited water migration and loss. Mechanistically, the coated T. fuciformis exhibited enhanced antioxidant capacity, characterized by increased superoxide anion (O2-) resistance capacity, higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX), and elevated levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (AsA, GSH). This led to a significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, alongside improved DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power. Furthermore, the ε-PL/CTS coating preserved cell membrane integrity by inhibiting the activities of lipid-degrading enzymes (lipase, LOX, PLD), maintaining higher levels of key phospholipids (phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine), delaying phosphatidic acid accumulation, and consequently reducing cell membrane permeability. In conclusion, the ε-PL/CTS composite coating effectively extends the shelf life and maintains the quality of postharvest T. fuciformis by modulating ROS metabolism and preserving membrane lipid homeostasis. This study provides a theoretical basis and a practical approach for the quality control of fresh T. fuciformis.

Keywords: Tremella fuciformis; chitosan; membrane lipid metabolism; reactive oxygen species metabolism; ε-Poly-L-lysine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on weight loss rate of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (*) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on Hunter whiteness of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on b* value of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on (A) soluble sugar content, (B) total soluble solid (TSS) content, and (C) soluble protein content of fresh T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each parameter, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on the lateral relaxation behavior of fresh T. fuciformis hydrogen protons. (A) is the control group; (B) is the ε-PL + CTS treatment group.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The impact of the ε-PL + CTS composite coating on the T. fuciformis unit peak area. The bar at day 0 represents the initial state before treatment. For days 1 through 5, “Control-X” and “T-X” denote the control group and the ε-PL/CTS treatment group on day X, respectively.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on O2− resistance capacity of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (**) indicate highly significant differences (p < 0.01) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on malondialdehyde (MDA) content of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on the activities of (A) superoxide dismutase (SOD), (B) catalase (CAT), and (C) ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each enzyme, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on (A) ascorbic acid (AsA) content and (B) glutathione (GSH) content in T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each parameter, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on (A) DPPH radical scavenging capacity and (B) reducing power of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each parameter, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on cell membrane permeability of T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks (**) indicate highly significant differences (p < 0.01) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on the activities of (A) lipase, (B) lipoxygenase (LOX), and (C) phospholipase D (PLD) in T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each enzyme, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Effect of ε-PL + CTS composite coating on the contents of (A) phosphatidylinositol (PI), (B) phosphatidylcholine (PC), and (C) phosphatidic acid (PA) in T. fuciformis during storage at (25 ± 1) °C. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). For each phospholipid, asterisks (*, **) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) between the control group and the ε-PL + CTS group at the same storage time.
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