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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Isolation and Biophysical Study of Fruit Cuticles
Published on: March 30, 2012
The membrane may be an important factor in browning of fresh-cut pear
Zhenghong Li1, Yuxing Zhang1, Huibo Ge2
1College of Horticulture of Agricultural University of Hebei, Hebei Baoding 071001, China.
Abstract:
Surface browning is an important cause of deterioration of fresh-cut fruit during postharvest handling. In this paper, four pear cultivars with different extents of natural browning were selected to analyse the factors involved in browning. The main results are as follows: the lipoxygenase (LOX) activity of 'Mantianhong' and 'Yali' pears was higher accompanied by a stronger degree of browning, while the LOX activity in 'Xueqing' and 'Xinli 7' pears was lower, with less browning. A higher unsaturated fatty acid ratio of pear resulted in reduced browning. The cell membranes disappeared 30min after being cut in 'Mantianhong' pear, which browns easily; however, the cell membranes were still intact 30min after being cut in 'Xueqing' pear, which does not brown easily. Therefore, it can be assumed that the stability of the cell membrane plays an important role in inhibiting browning of fresh-cut pears.
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