ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Pre-harvest Cinnamic Acid and Potassium Cinnamate Improve Postharvest Quality and Storability of 'Kyoho' Grapes
Provisionally accepted
- Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China
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Frequent high temperatures render 'Kyoho' grapes prone to postharvest softening, berry drop, and insufficient coloration. To address these challenges, this study investigated the effects of preharvest foliar sprays of cinnamic acid (CA) and potassium cinnamate (PC) on fruit quality and storability. Grapes were treated with different concentrations of CA or PC from veraison to maturity, and followed by evaluation after 96 hours of storage at 25 ℃. The results indicated that high concentrations of CA and PC significantly enhanced fruit quality by increasing total soluble solids (TSS) content and the accumulation of antioxidants (e.g., total phenols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid), while reducing titratable acidity (TA) and improving texture properties including peel puncture strength, flesh firmness, and elasticity. Furthermore, these treatments inhibited hydrolase activity (e.g., cellulase and pectinase), decreased berry drop and decay incidence, and suppressed pathogen growth (especially Penicillium and Aspergillus). Notably, 10 mmol·L⁻¹ CA was most effective in maintaining TSS and antioxidant reserves, whereas 10 mmol·L⁻¹ PC excelled in preserving fruit firmness, improving pedicel stability, and extending storage life. These beneficial effects were mediated by regulating the activity of key enzymes (e.g., SOD, POD, PPO, C4H, and 4CL) and the expression of relevant genes (e.g., VvPAL, VvCHS, and VvANS), thereby providing a practical technical foundation for the postharvest preservation of 'Kyoho' grapes.
Keywords: cinnamic acid, Entropy weight TOPSIS, fruit quality, 'Kyoho' grape, Potassium cinnamate, Storability
Received: 25 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 胡, Wang, Rong, Ma, Tian and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shufen Tian
Jianfu Jiang
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