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Published on: April 7, 2017
Ectoine maintains the flavor and nutritional quality of broccoli during postharvest storage
Xiaozhen Yue1, Tian Tian2, Wenhui Duan3
1Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China.
Abstract:
The bacterial derived osmolyte ectoine has been shown to stabilize cell structure and function, a property that may help to extend the shelf life of broccoli. The impact of ectoine on broccoli stored for 4 d at 20 °C and 90% relative humidity was investigated. Results indicated that 0.20% ectoine treatment maintained the quality of broccoli, by reducing rate of respiration and ethylene generation, while increasing the levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, TSS, soluble protein, and vitamin C, relative to control. Headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that ectoine stabilized aroma components in broccoli by maintaining level of volatile compounds and altered the expression of genes and metabolites associated with sulfur metabolism, as well as fatty acid and amino acid biosynthesis pathways. These findings provide a greater insight into how ectoine preserves the flavor and nutritional quality of broccoli, thus, extending its shelf life.
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