Work

Octacosanol preserves postharvest apple quality by delaying senescence through coordinated regulation of cuticular wax biosynthesis and antioxidant defense mechanisms

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Apples, as respiratory climacteric fruit, undergo postharvest ripening and senescence, impacting commodity value. Cuticular wax protects against environmental stresses. Here, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed a decline in fatty alcohol levels in apple wax during storage, correlating with fruit quality deterioration. Notably, octacosanol content significantly decreased with storage, suggesting that it is a primary cause of wax and fruit quality decline. Octacosanol treatment improved fruit quality and delayed softening by enhancing wax synthesis and antioxidant levels and suppressing cell wall-degrading enzymes. Transcriptome sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays indicated increased expression of wax, peroxidase, sucrose, and starch genes and decreased expression of cell wall degradation genes, explaining octacosanol’s benefits. This study provides a theoretical basis for octacosanol application in fruit preservation.

Source: Food Quality and Safety

DOI: 10.1093/fqsafe/fyaf015