Effects of short-term temperature treatments on postharvest keeping quality and antioxidant machinery in fruit and vegetables

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Horticultural crops are perishable products with active metabolism during the postharvest period. When exposed to abiotic stress conditions, such as a low temperature and high temperature, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases. Plants have evolved an efficient antioxidant defense system such as a series of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic detoxification systems to scavenge ROS. In cold stored potato tubers and spinach mustard leaves, the activities of antioxidative enzymes induced in response to chilling temperature. Heat treatment may induce oxidative stress. Protection against oxidative stress is an important component in determining the survival of plant under heat stress. In mume fruit, heat treatment induced the activities of antioxidative enzymes involved in ROS detoxification. Thus, the approaches to modulate or control the stresses in plant tissues are very important to improving shelf life and quality retention during postharvest handling of horticultural crop.