Curing and low-temperature combined post-harvest storage enhances anthocyanin biosynthesis in blood oranges

Author(s)

Carmona, Lourdes ^{[1, 2]} ; Alquezar, Berta ^{[1, 2]} ; Diretto, Gianfranco ^[3] ; Sevi, Filippo ^[3] ; Malara, Tatiane ^[1] ; Lafuente, M. Teresa ^[4] ; Pena, Leandro ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Fundo Def Citricultura Fundecitrus, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Politen Valencia, Inst Biol Mol & Celular Plantas, Consejo Super Invest Cient, Valencia - Spain

^[3] Ctr Ric Casaccia, Agenzia Nazl Nuove Tecnol Energia & Sviluppo Econ, Via Anguillarese 301, I-00123 Santa Maria Di Galeria, RM - Italy

^[4] CSIC, Inst Agroquim & Tecnol Alimentos, Madrid - Spain

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Food Chemistry; v. 342, APR 16 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Anthocyanins are pigments present in blood oranges which can be enriched by post-harvest cold storage. Additionally, citrus fruits contain appreciable levels of other flavonoids, whose content increases under postharvest heat treatments. Here, we investigated the effects of curing (37 degrees C for 3 days) and storage at lowtemperature (9 degrees C) during 15, 30 and 45 days on accumulation of anthocyanins and other flavonoids in Moro and Sanguinelli Polidori blood oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck). Cured fruits reached up to 191.4 +/- 1.4 mg/L of anthocyanins in their juice after cold storage and a 3-fold enrichment of other flavonoids such as flavones and flavanones, compared to 85.7 +/- 3.3 mg/L anthocyanins from fruits with cold storage alone. Concomitantly, qPCR analysis showed that curing enhanced upregulation of the main structural and transcription factor genes regulating the flavonoid pathway. GC-MS analysis showed that no unpleasant compounds were generated in the cured plus cold-stored juice volatilome. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/23447-3 - Metabolic engineering to generate new orange fruits enriched in either lycopene or anthocyanins
• Grantee: María Lourdes Carmona López
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/12616-9 - Biotechnological applications to increase health quality of sweet orange
• Grantee: Leandro Antonio Peña Garcia
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants