Plants (Aug 2022)

Pre- and Post-Harvest Conditions Affect Polyphenol Content in Strawberry (<i>Fragaria</i> × <i>ananassa</i>)

  • Ryohei Koyama,
  • Misaki Ishibashi,
  • Itsuko Fukuda,
  • Akitoshi Okino,
  • Ro Osawa,
  • Yuichi Uno

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172220
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 17
p. 2220

Abstract

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The strawberry fruit contains abundant polyphenols, such as anthocyanins, flavan-3-ol, and ellagitannin. Polyphenol enrichment improves the quality of strawberries and leads to a better understanding of the polyphenol induction process. We measured the total polyphenol content of strawberry fruits under different growth conditions, developmental stages, and treatment conditions during pre-harvest and post-harvest periods. High fruit polyphenol content was observed in cold treatment, which was selected for further analysis and optimization. A transcriptome analysis of cold-treated fruits suggested that the candidate components of polyphenols may exist in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Coverage with a porous film bag excluded the effects of drought stress and produced polyphenol-rich strawberry fruits without affecting quality or quantity. The degree of stress was assessed using known stress indicators. A rapid accumulation of abscisic acid was followed by an increase in superoxide dismutase and DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity, suggesting that the strawberry fruits responded to cold stress immediately, reaching the climax at around 6 days, a trend consistent with that of polyphenol content. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanism of post-harvest polyphenol accumulation and the value of strawberries as a functional food.

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