Xiaobo Wei

Post-harvest fruits and vegetables, a vital category of fresh agricultural products, are abundant in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and diverse bioactive compounds. They serve an indispensable ...

Cuticular wax is essential for maintaining postharvest quality in berry fruits. This study used SEM, wax composition analysis, transcriptomics, and hormone profiling to examine dynamic wax deposition and its regulatory network across five developmental stages of goji berry (Lycium barbarum L. Ningnongqi 16). Wax content and composition changed significantly, peaking at the late yellowing stage. Genes involved in wax biosynthesis showed expression patterns that first increased and then declined, consistent with wax accumulation trends. WGCNA identified key transcription factors, including LbWRKY48 and LbMYB86, and their potential regulatory relationships with wax biosynthesis genes such as LbKCS6 and LbAD1. Hormone analysis revealed that ACC and 28-HBL were positively correlated with wax accumulation, while GA₃ showed a negative correlation. Overall, this study elucidates stage-specific wax deposition and its coordinated regulation by gene expression and hormonal signals, providing a theoretical basis for improving fruit storability through postharvest regulation.

Scope: Polyphenols are the major active substances in red jujube fruit, and their anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities suggest their potential utility in the prevention of ulcerative colitis (UC).Methods and results: In this study, the effect of polyphenol extracts from red jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. “Junzao”) (PERJ) on the dextron sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced UC mice is investigated. The result shows that PERJ effectively improves clinical symptoms, including food and water intake, the disease activity insex (DAI) and spleen index, and routine blood levels, and alleviates the shortening of the colon, in mice with DSS‐induced UC. Meanwhile, PERJ remarkably decreases the expression of proinflammatory factors. Moreover, PERJ repairs intestinal barrier damage by increasing the expression level of mucin 2 and mucin 3, and the result is also confirmed in the histological assessment. Besides, the expression levels of Nod‐like receptor family pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade (MAPKs) signaling pathway‐related proteins are inhibited by the PERJ administration. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing analyses reveal that PERJ reverses intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by enhancing the abundance of Firmicutes and decreasing that of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes.Conclusion: PERJ probably inhibits the development of UC by suppressing the NLRP3 and MAPKs signaling pathways and regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, and can be considered as a potential resource for preventing UC.