LAUSR

BACKGROUND Epidermal wax is an important factor affecting the storage quality of fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have shown that the epidermal wax of fruits undergoes significant changes during storage, but there are few studies on the effects of different storage methods on the changes in waxes and the relationship with storage quality. To investigate the effect of cuticular wax on the postharvest physiology in fragrant pear, an equal number of fragrant pear fruits were stored in room temperature storage (control), cold storage and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage environs, respectively. RESULTS Found by GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer) analysis that the prevailing compositions of cuticular wax of fragrant pear were alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, aldehydes, esters and fatty acids. Compared with control, cold storage and CA storage significantly inhibited changes in postharvest physiology, total wax contents and wax compositions of fragrant pear, and the effects of CA storage were more pronounced than cold storage. Under different storage methods, total wax contents and wax compositions show different correlations with various physiological indicators. CONCUSIONS These results indicate that cold storage and CA storage altered the fragrant pear cuticular wax contents and constituents, thus changing the postharvest physiology quality. The changes in the metabolism of wax components caused by the changes in storage environment mainly affect the changes in the hardness of fragrant pears. This study provides a theoretical basis for the preservation and storage of fruits. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.