Nitric oxide prevents wound-induced browning and delays senescence through inhibition of hydrogen peroxide accumulation in fresh-cut lettuce

We demonstrate that short treatments with NO gas substantially inhibit wound-induced browning and largely improve the storability of fresh-cut lettuce. This offers an option for adopting NO treatments for optimization of the post-processing conditions. Implementation of reported findings into practice will offer innovative technological solutions for improvement of the post-harvest quality of fresh-cut lettuce applicable for the industry, distributors and retailers. Moreover, our findings indicate that the browning disorder is to a large extent dependent on the severity of the wound-induced oxidative stress and cell death occurrence. This discovery opens a possibility for the development of metabolic and morphological markers appropriate for the prediction of the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut lettuce with perspective for expanding the research and introducing the tests toward other perishable leafy vegetables.