Research Progress in the Effects of Epidermal Tissue on Postharvest Fruit Water Loss

Abstract

Water is the most abundant component in fruits and vegetables, and it plays a significant role in maintaining the sensory quality and normal physiological metabolic in fruits. However, the tissues of postharvest fruits are cut off the connection from the parent plant, which result in a reduction of fruit moisture due to evaporation and respiration. This leads to a series of issues, including weight loss, wrinkling, browning, softening, susceptibility to pathogen infection, and accelerating aging. These problems significantly reduce the shelf life and disease resistance of postharvest fruits, directly impacting their commercial and economic value. Many factors such as before, during and after harvesting can influence the water loss of fruit, however, as a crucial barrier in controlling water loss, the fruit epidermal tissue plays a key role in maintaining fruit moisture. In this article, it takes the epidermal tissue of fruit as a starting point and focuses on three aspects: The structure of the epidermal tissue (including epidermal cells, cuticle layer, natural openings, and trichomes), the chemical composition of the epidermal tissue (including waxes, cutin, polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds), and the molecular biology mechanisms that control fruit water loss through the epidermal tissue (including wax-related genes and wax metabolism regulation), and the impacts of the epidermal tissue on postharvest water loss in fruits are reviewed. Moreover, it summarizes the current challenges in this research field, with the hope that these findings can provide valuable references and insights for further exploration of the mechanisms in which epidermal tissue contributes to maintaining fruit quality after harvest and seeking methods to control fruit water loss.

Keywords

• fruit
• epidermal tissue
• water loss
• cuticle
• waxiness