Research Publications (Food Safety)

Light and temperature are key factors influencing the accumulation of anthocyanin in fruit crops. To assess the effects of fruit bagging during development and high post-ripening temperature on ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, we compared the pigmentation phenotypes and expression levels of anthocyanin-related genes between bagged and unbagged treatments, and between 25 °C and 37 °C postharvest storage temperatures.

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a tropical fruit originating from southern China that is currently cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide. Litchi anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, a dominant species of Colletotrichum spp., is an important disease of litchi that damages the fruits in fields and in post-harvest storage.

Pear (Pyrus L.) is one of the most important fruits in the world. Fruit dots are an important trait that affects pear quality. Abnormal fruit dots usually reduce the merchantability of pears. In this research, during cold storage, ‘Danxiahong’ pear fruit exhibited protrudent fruit dots on the peels. Microscopy system measurement showed that fruit dots size and height on the abnormal fruit peel were bigger and higher than the normal ones.

Fresh fruits and vegetable products are easily perishable during postharvest handling due to enzymatic browning reactions. This phenomenon has contributed to a significant loss of food. To reveal the physiological changes in fresh-cut potato tubers at the molecular level, a transcriptome analysis of potato tubers after cutting was carried out. A total of 10,872, 10,449, and 11,880 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 4 h, 12 h and 24 h after cutting, respectively.

Powdery mildew disease caused by Podosphaerapannosa is the most widespread disease in global cut-rose production, as well as a major disease in garden and pot roses. In this study, the powdery mildew resistance of different wild rose varieties was evaluated.

Drought stress requires plants to adjust their water balance to maintain tissue water levels. Isohydric plants (‘water-savers’) typically achieve this through stomatal closure, while anisohydric plants (‘water-wasters’) use osmotic adjustment and maintain stomatal conductance. Isohydry or anisohydry allows plant species to adapt to different environments. In this paper we show that both mechanisms occur in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).