Oxalic acid and 1-methylcyclopropene alleviate chilling injury of 'Youhou' sweet persimmon during cold storage

Sweet persimmon softens rapidly during storage at room temperature. While low temperature can slow ripening, fruit are sensitive to chilling injury (CI) at low storage temperatures. In this study, we investigated the effects of oxalic acid (OA), 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), and combined OA and 1-MCP treatments on the CI of 'Youhou' sweet persimmons during storage at 1 °C. Chilling-induced membrane damage was inhibited by all treatments as indicated by lower electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde concentrations than found in control fruit. The treatments suppressed phenolics oxidation associated with polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities, resulting in lower skin and flesh browning. The treatments enhanced pectin solubilization and maintained higher juice yield compared with the control. The combined treatment of OA and 1-MCP was more effective than either one alone resulting in the lowest CI incidence in fruit kept at 1 °C.