Abnormal chilling injury of postharvest papaya is associated with the antioxidant response

Generally, the lower the temperature and/or the longer the duration of low temperature, the more serious chilling injury (CI) symptom appears in fruit. However, our previous study showed that the higher storage temperature (6°C) resulted in a more serious CI in papaya fruit compared to that stored at 1°C, which could be viewed as an abnormal CI behavior. This study investigated the antioxidant responses that existed in abnormal CI behavior of papaya fruit. Compared to 6°C, antioxidant enzyme activities of papaya fruit which was stored at 1°C were maintained at a higher level while the circulatory metabolism of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle (AsA-GSH) was more vigorous in papaya fruit, as indicated by higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activities and higher AsA and GSH levels, which could reduce the superoxide anion (·O₂ ^- ) production rate and the hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ) content. Suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in papaya fruit at 1°C resulted in reduced membrane permeability and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation when compared to that at 6°C, thus the development of CI was restricted during storage at 1°C. This study deepened the understanding of differential antioxidant responses during cold storage at 1°C and 6°C in papaya fruit and provided a theoretical basis for further study on the mechanism of the abnormal CI behavior in papaya fruit. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Low-temperature storage is one of the most effective methods to preserve fruit and vegetable products. While, inappropriate low temperature could induce CI, and the damage caused by CI is often more serious than estimated. Therefore, it is necessary to study the physiological and biochemical characteristics of different postharvest fruits and vegetables to prolong storage period, improve storage quality and reduce the loss of products. This study analyzed the antioxidant reaction in abnormal CI behavior of papaya, which could contribute to the further study on the mechanism of CI in papaya fruit and provide theoretical basis for the development of preservation technology of papaya fruit.