Search

Appendix A. Supporting information Supplementary data associated with this article can be found in the online version at doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2023.112457, Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the regulation of several stress responses such as drought, high salinity and low temperature being also proved as a key phytohormone for the acquisition of postharvest cold tolerance in zucchini fruit. Therefore, it would be of great interest to unravel the mechanisms implicated in the ABA response, using a metabolomic approach. The aim of this work has been to use a combination of metabolomic tools to identify the main metabolic pathways involved in ABA-mediated regulation of chilling tolerance in zucchini fruit. As a result of this study, it was found that ABA modulates the primary metabolism inducing the accumulation of some sugars, organic acids such as succinic acid and amino acids including histidine, serine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid, and that are involved in low-temperature tolerance. ABA treatment also activates the t-zeatin and riboflavin biosynthesis during the first days of cold storage which can be important signals in the ABA-mediated cold response to induce tolerance in zucchini fruit., Departamento Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad de Granada. Grupo AGR-209, Grants (AGL2017- 82885-C2–2-R and PID2020-118080RB-C22) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, FPI grant EEBB-PRE-C-2018-0057 Funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/ 501100011033, European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR, Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA

The use of edible coatings has surged as a response to the ever-increasing demand for ecologically-friendly methods for maintaining fruit quality during storage. This study analyses the application of different polysaccharide-based coatings, carboxymethylcellulose, chitosan, dextrin and starch, and the use of a plasticizer agent, glycerol, with dextrin shown to be the most effective in maintaining the postharvest quality of zucchini fruit during cold storage. Subsequently, to improve these results, the nutraceutical additives oleuropein and olive oil, were tested in combination with dextrin. Results showed that dextrin coatings reduced weight loss, chilling injury, and oxidative stress in zucchini fruit at low temperature, maintaining fruit quality. The natural additives obtained from the olive tree showed a higher induction of antioxidant enzymes as well as a greater accumulation of ascorbate and total phenolics, with the dextrin coating with olive oil being even more effective in maintaining the chilling injury low until the end of storage, associated to phenolic metabolism. This type of preservation could be implemented for extending postharvest life and enhancing the overall quality of zucchini fruit., Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020 (Project BAGR-296-UGR20), FPI grants (MEC) (Project AGL2017-82885-C2-2-R), Universidad de Granada / CBUA