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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Food Chemistry
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1527555
This article is part of the Research Topic Natural Bioactive Compounds in Food Preservation and Safety View all articles
γ-Aminobutyric acid treatment maintains the quality and improve antioxidative activities of fresh-cut Euryale ferox stems during postharvest storage
Provisionally accepted- College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Fresh-cut Euryale ferox stem (FCEFS) is a nutrient-rich but underutilized vegetable that has a short shelf life, making it prone to softening and rotting. The effects of different concentrations of γaminobutyric acid (GABA) on sensory quality and antioxidant activity during cold storage at 4°C for 20 d were examined. The results revealed that the FCEFS samples treated with 5 mM GABA maintained greater hardness and ascorbic acid, total phenolic compound and chlorophyll contents than the FCEFS samples not treated with GABA. FCEFS samples subjected to GABA treatment and stored under long-term cold storage conditions presented elevated sensory scores. The control group had ceased to possess commercial value on 16 d, and it was edible by 20 d following GABA treatment, which was corroborated by the notable colour characteristics and electronic nose analysis. Notably, GABA treatment delayed the decrease in soluble solid and endogenous GABA levels, and delayed the accumulation of malondialdehyde and the increase in lignin content in FCEFS during cold storage. In addition, GABA maintained high peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activities. Treatment with 5 mM GABA maintained the shelf-life and sensory quality of the FCEFS for 20 d at 4°C. Therefore, these results indicate that GABA can be used to delay the softening of FCEFS and extend its cold storage and shelflife.
Keywords: Fresh-cut Euryale ferox stem, γ-Aminobutyric acid, antioxidative activities, Postharvest storage, quality
Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 12 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Wei, Wang, Yu, Zhai, Yang and Wei. 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:
Hongmei Wei, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Songxu Wang, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Fulong Yu, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Ligong Zhai, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Jianting Yang, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
Zhaohui Wei, College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, China
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