Early signaling events as vital regulators of enzymatic browning in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables: a mini-review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Unlike intact fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut produce undergoes minimal processing operations that render it highly susceptible to quality deterioration. Among the adverse quality issues, surface browning represents a primary obstacle curtailing the post-processing shelf life and marketability of minimally processed commodities. While classical paradigms regarding fresh-cut browning predominantly center on downstream, polyphenol oxidase-mediated enzymatic reactions, this mini-review highlights the critical importance of early signaling events. These include wounding signal perception, ROS burst, Ca 2+ signal transduction, rapid phytohormone response, and their subsequent crosstalk during the imitation of browning. Shifting the research paradigm toward a comprehensive upstream regulatory network will pave the way for engineering next-generation postharvest browning interventions.
Source: Frontiers in Plant Science
Institution: Shaoguan University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7220833422