Effects of resveratrol treatment on quality and antioxidant properties of postharvest strawberry fruit

Strawberry fruit is one of people’s favorite fruits. It has high nutritional value and health care effects. Strawberries lose their edible value quickly after being picked because of their thin skin, which is easily damaged. In order to find a method to maintain the quality of strawberries, the effects of resveratrol treatment on the nutritional quality and antioxidant metabolism of strawberry fruit were studied. The result indicated that 100 μM resveratrol was the optimal concentration to delay the occurrence of decay. Strawberry fruit treated with resveratrol delayed the decrease in firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), vitamin C (Vc) content,1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2′‐azino‐bis (3‐ethylbezothi‐ azot‐hiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging capacities. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content, and superoxide anion (O₂•⁻) production of control fruit were significantly higher than those of treated fruit. Strawberry fruit treated with resveratrol also increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) during storage. Therefore, resveratrol has been proved to effectively improve the nutritional quality and antioxidant properties of strawberry fruit. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Strawberry fruit is rich in nutrients, which is beneficial to human health. But strawberry fruit has high water content and soft tissue, which is easy to be damaged and decayed. Therefore, it is particularly important to find a way to maintain strawberry fruit quality. In this study, resveratrol has good antioxidant, health care, and antibacterial properties. Resveratrol treatment can maintain the nutritional quality of strawberry fruit and can be used as an effective method for strawberry fruit preservation.