Christian Fernández-Picazo

Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) are highly perishable fruits that rapidly lose their quality properties, even when stored under cold conditions. The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of hesperidin (10, 50, and 100 mg L⁻¹) to preserve harvest-ripe strawberry quality during cold storage (2 °C). The data obtained indicate that hesperidin treatments were able to delay fruit metabolism and thus weight loss, while maintaining firmness and delaying colour evolution, obtaining positive results even with the lower concentrations applied. Strawberries treated with hesperidin exhibited a cell membrane with greater integrity, as reflected by a lower loss of electrolytes, resulting from reduced oxidation degradation. In addition, these strawberries maintained a higher concentration of chlorophylls in the calyx during storage, which could be due to a better antioxidant balance and a more effective preservation of their qualities. In this regard, the levels of bioactive substances, including total phenolics and the major anthocyanin compounds present in strawberries, were delayed in hesperidin-treated strawberries. This is the first report highlighting the effectiveness of hesperidin as a postharvest treatment in fruit, specifically in strawberries, delaying senescence. These results suggest that hesperidin, either by itself or in hesperidin-rich extracts, could become a valuable tool for postharvest fruit preservation.

Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) are highly perishable fruits with a short postharvest shelf life, requiring effective preservation techniques. This study evaluates the efficacy of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in maintaining strawberry quality during cold storage. Freshly harvested strawberries were treated with different concentrations of GABA (1–20 mM), and a commercial 1-MCP concentration was suggested for strawberries (250 nL L⁻¹) before being stored at 2 °C for up to 12 days. Different quality, physiological, and biochemical parameters were evaluated every 3 days after harvest. Results showed that both GABA and 1-MCP treatments effectively delayed fruit senescence. GABA demonstrated a higher effect on reducing weight loss, around 35.01% and 5.29% for 10 mM GABA and 1-MCP, respectively, compared to control fruit after 12 days at 2 °C. These substances also were effective in preserving firmness, but better maintenance was observed for 10 mM GABA than for 1-MCP (5.11 ± 0.43 and 3.49 ± 0.37 N, respectively) compared with control fruit after 12 days at 2 °C (2.56 ± 0.46 N). On the other hand, lower GABA concentrations (1–5 mM) and 1-MCP were particularly effective in delaying colour evolution and maintaining cell membranes and bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. In conclusion, as a postharvest treatment, GABA potentially offers an alternative or complement to 1-MCP in prolonging strawberry storability. These findings could contribute to developing sustainable strategies to reduce postharvest losses and improve strawberry marketability.

Tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum L.) has a very brief storability, displaying chilling injury (CI) when stored in cold conditions used to delay ripening. For this reason, in this study, different concentrations (10, 50, and 100 mg L⁻¹) of chlorogenic acid (ChA) were assayed to evaluate its effectiveness in maintaining fruit quality traits and mitigating CI symptoms in tomatoes. Our results showed that ChA treatments effectively delayed weight loss and maintained fruit firmness, with optimal results observed at 50 mg L⁻¹. In general, higher concentrations did not result in significant quality improvements. Additionally, ChA-treated tomatoes exhibited reduced values in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage (EL), indicating improved membrane integrity and reduced oxidative damage. ChA treatments also maintained a higher total phenolic content (TPC) during storage, with significant levels of individual polyphenols such as rutin, neochlorogenic acid, and p-coumaric acid, suggesting enhanced antioxidant capacity and better preservation of fruit quality. This is the first time the potential of ChA to reduce CI has been evaluated in any fruit species, and its impact in tomato ripening is shown to uphold fruit quality during cold storage, prolonging the storability of tomatoes. In particular, we highlight its natural origin and effectiveness as a postharvest treatment.