Structures and Functions of Cuticular Wax in Postharvest Fruit and Its Regulation: A Comprehensive Review with Future Perspectives
Weijie Wu,
Bo Jiang,
Ruiling Liu,
Yanchao Han,
Xiangjun Fang,
Honglei Mu,
Mohamed A. Farag,
Jesus Simal-Gandara,
Miguel A. Prieto,
Hangjun Chen,
Jianbo Xiao,
Haiyan Gao
Affiliations
Weijie Wu
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Bo Jiang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Ruiling Liu
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Yanchao Han
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Xiangjun Fang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Honglei Mu
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Mohamed A. Farag
Pharmacognosy Department, College of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
Jesus Simal-Gandara
Universidade de Vigo, Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ourense 32004, Spain
Miguel A. Prieto
Universidade de Vigo, Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ourense 32004, Spain
Hangjun Chen
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; Corresponding authors.
Jianbo Xiao
Universidade de Vigo, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, 32004 Ourense, Spain; Corresponding authors.
Haiyan Gao
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Handing of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province & Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; Corresponding authors.
Cuticular wax plays a major role in the growth and storage of plant fruits. The cuticular wax coating, which covers the outermost layer of a fruit’s epidermal cells, is insoluble in water. Cuticular wax is mainly composed of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs); their derivatives, including esters, primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones; and triterpenoids. This complex mixture of lipids is probably biosynthesized in the epidermal cells of most plants and exuded onto the surface. Cuticular wax not only makes the fruit less susceptible to microbial infection but also reduces mechanical damage to the fruit, thereby maintaining the fruit’s commodity value. To date, research has mostly focused on the changes, function, and regulation of fruit wax before harvest, while ignoring the changes and functions of wax in fruit storage. This paper reviews on the composition, structure, and metabolic regulation of cuticular wax in fruits. It also focuses on postharvest factors affecting wax composition, such as storage temperature, relative humidity (RH), gas atmosphere, and as exogenous hormones; and the effects of wax on fruit postharvest quality, including water dispersion, fruit softening, physiological disorders, and disease resistance. These summaries may be of assistance in better understanding the changes in cuticular wax in postharvest fruit and the resulting effects on fruit quality.
