Understanding chilling injury in postharvest produce: mechanisms, diagnosis, and mitigation strategies

Chilling injury severely threatens postharvest produce; integrating physical, chemical, biological, and genetic strategies with advanced diagnostics offers sustainable solutions to enhance cold tolerance, extend shelf life and ensure food security. Chilling injury, caused by exposure to suboptimal temperatures, leads to membrane damage, oxidative stress, and metabolic disruptions resulting in visible symptoms such as discoloration, pitting, and spoilage. This condition severely affects the quality, shelf life, and marketability of tropical and subtropical produce, posing significant challenges during storage and transportation. This review examines the underlying mechanisms of chilling injury, along with advancements in diagnosis and mitigation strategies. Diagnostic methods range from traditional visual inspections to modern tools such as spectroscopy, molecular biomarkers, and thermal imaging, enabling early detection of chilling injury. Mitigation strategies are classified into physical approaches (controlled storage conditions, preconditioning), chemical treatments (antioxidants, phytohormones), and biological interventions (genetic engineering, biostimulants). While these methods show promise, challenges such as scalability, crop-specific applicability, and universal effectiveness persist. Emerging molecular and genetic techniques offer potential solutions but require further validation and careful consideration of ecological and regulatory implications. By addressing existing gaps in research and practice, this review details the above stated approaches and emphasizes the importance of integrative approaches that combine physical, chemical, and biological strategies. Such comprehensive efforts are crucial for reducing postharvest losses, enhancing produce resilience, and promoting food security through sustainable agricultural practices.