Multiple endogenous and exogenous factors control the development, ripening, and senescence of fresh produce. Their metabolic and molecular postharvest mechanisms remain unclear. Fresh produce undergoes diverse metabolic changes during these processes, allowing the development of bioactive compounds with health benefits for the consumer. In addition, it has organoleptic properties that make it an attractive food product. However, post-harvest changes also involve degradative processes leading to senescence, shortening storage, and shelf life, and, consequently, food loss and waste. Pre- and postharvest factors such as irrigation strategies, nutrient intake, and harvest time can influence fruit and vegetable post-harvest quality and storability. Therefore, contribution to the knowledge of how pre-harvest agronomic and climatic factors affect post-harvest behavior is key to better understanding the whole system. This is also key to providing high-quality products. This information will allow the development of sustainable technology and strategies to reduce the climate impact of food production and preservation and also to ensure global food security.
To understand how changes affect fresh produce quality traits, metabolic approaches alone or in combination with molecular biology are essential. This article collection aims to provide an understanding of post-harvest biological mechanisms that will enable the development of efficient technology and strategies for maintaining nutritional and physiological quality and reducing losses. In particular, reconfiguration of fruit metabolism as a consequence of abiotic/biotic stress encountered during preharvest conditions and postharvest life has a direct impact on the accumulation of taste- and aroma-producing metabolites, which are decisive attributes for consumers and therefore for the fresh produce industry. Despite the fact that many molecular mechanisms that are active during fruit postharvest storage and senescence remain elusive, future omics studies will shed light on them. This will help optimize fruit storage conditions. Furthermore, recent advances in metabolomics-driven technology allow the identification of valuable biomarkers that can be employed by the fruit industry to precisely monitor changes in quality attributes during post-harvest storage.
In this Research Topic, we welcome studies that provide novel insights and methods to elucidate mechanisms involving changes that occur during the post-harvest ripening process and senescence of horticultural products, as well as tea and ornamental plants. We also welcome manuscripts that elucidate relationships between preharvest conditions and postharvest quality of fruit and vegetables. We accept all types of articles, including original research studies, mini-reviews or review articles, perspectives, and methods. But not brief research topics or purely descriptive studies.
This collection focuses primarily on the following subtopics but is not limited to:
- Physiological regulation of the post-harvest ripening processes
- The mechanisms involved in the loss of nutritional and physiological quality after harvest
- Quality formation in horticultural crop products, such as flavor, nutrients, pigment accumulation, and firmness, among others
- Approaches to elucidate the action mechanism of pre- and post-harvest treatments on improving fruit quality characteristics at harvest and shelf-life during storage.
Please note that experimental data should be used to analyze the mechanisms of post-harvest ripening regulation and quality formation of horticultural products, as well as the effects of pre- and post-harvest treatments on quality maintenance. Review papers should summarize the latest research progress in this field in recent years and put forward the limitations of current research and the direction of future development. Descriptive studies that purely report omics data, responses treatments, or quality will not be considered if they do not advance physiological understanding of these responses.
Multiple endogenous and exogenous factors control the development, ripening, and senescence of fresh produce. Their metabolic and molecular postharvest mechanisms remain unclear. Fresh produce undergoes diverse metabolic changes during these processes, allowing the development of bioactive compounds with health benefits for the consumer. In addition, it has organoleptic properties that make it an attractive food product. However, post-harvest changes also involve degradative processes leading to senescence, shortening storage, and shelf life, and, consequently, food loss and waste. Pre- and postharvest factors such as irrigation strategies, nutrient intake, and harvest time can influence fruit and vegetable post-harvest quality and storability. Therefore, contribution to the knowledge of how pre-harvest agronomic and climatic factors affect post-harvest behavior is key to better understanding the whole system. This is also key to providing high-quality products. This information will allow the development of sustainable technology and strategies to reduce the climate impact of food production and preservation and also to ensure global food security.
To understand how changes affect fresh produce quality traits, metabolic approaches alone or in combination with molecular biology are essential. This article collection aims to provide an understanding of post-harvest biological mechanisms that will enable the development of efficient technology and strategies for maintaining nutritional and physiological quality and reducing losses. In particular, reconfiguration of fruit metabolism as a consequence of abiotic/biotic stress encountered during preharvest conditions and postharvest life has a direct impact on the accumulation of taste- and aroma-producing metabolites, which are decisive attributes for consumers and therefore for the fresh produce industry. Despite the fact that many molecular mechanisms that are active during fruit postharvest storage and senescence remain elusive, future omics studies will shed light on them. This will help optimize fruit storage conditions. Furthermore, recent advances in metabolomics-driven technology allow the identification of valuable biomarkers that can be employed by the fruit industry to precisely monitor changes in quality attributes during post-harvest storage.
In this Research Topic, we welcome studies that provide novel insights and methods to elucidate mechanisms involving changes that occur during the post-harvest ripening process and senescence of horticultural products, as well as tea and ornamental plants. We also welcome manuscripts that elucidate relationships between preharvest conditions and postharvest quality of fruit and vegetables. We accept all types of articles, including original research studies, mini-reviews or review articles, perspectives, and methods. But not brief research topics or purely descriptive studies.
This collection focuses primarily on the following subtopics but is not limited to:
- Physiological regulation of the post-harvest ripening processes
- The mechanisms involved in the loss of nutritional and physiological quality after harvest
- Quality formation in horticultural crop products, such as flavor, nutrients, pigment accumulation, and firmness, among others
- Approaches to elucidate the action mechanism of pre- and post-harvest treatments on improving fruit quality characteristics at harvest and shelf-life during storage.
Please note that experimental data should be used to analyze the mechanisms of post-harvest ripening regulation and quality formation of horticultural products, as well as the effects of pre- and post-harvest treatments on quality maintenance. Review papers should summarize the latest research progress in this field in recent years and put forward the limitations of current research and the direction of future development. Descriptive studies that purely report omics data, responses treatments, or quality will not be considered if they do not advance physiological understanding of these responses.