Effect of Ozone Treatment on Flavonoid Accumulation of Satsuma Mandarin ( Citrus unshiu Marc.) during Ambient Storage.

This study aimed to compare the flavonoid accumulation between ozone-treated and untreated Satsuma mandarin ( Citrus unshiu Marc.) fruits. The fruits exposed to gaseous ozone were found to have higher antioxidant activities and content of flavonoid during the storage period by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). To reveal the molecular regulation of flavonoid accumulation by ozone, chalcone synthase ( CHS ), chalcone isomerase ( CHI ), β-1,3-glucanase ( GLU ), chitinase ( CHT ), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase ( PAL ), and peroxidase ( POD ) were identified and their expression was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR). These results support the promising application of ozone treatment as a safe food preservation technique for controlling postharvest disease and extending shelf-life of harvested Satsuma mandarin.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.