About this Research Topic

Background

Preharvest technologies based on the application of elicitors have been shown to be effective in controlling fruit and vegetable ripening, thus affecting the nutritional quality and the bioactive content of fruit and vegetables. After harvest, fruit and vegetables undergo a series of ripening and senescence changes, such as respiration and fruit softening, which affect storage and shelf life and ultimately final consumer quality. Several postharvest technologies are commonly used to reduce metabolism and maintain product quality through the supply chain. Cold storage is a simple and widely used form of postharvest technology used to maintain fruit quality, however prolonged cold storage can result in the decline of nutritional value and levels of bioactive compounds as well as affecting the taste, odour, firmness, and causing visual defects. In addition cold treatment can result in chilling injury and other physiological disorders. Furthermore, climate change affects many abiotic factors which accelerate or delay harvest thus compromising crop quality, including the nutrition and accumulation of bioactive compounds, which can also affect final product quality.

New innovations and technologies are therefore required to improve product quality and avoiding economic and nutritional losses. Eco-friendly elicitors are chemical compounds that induce defence responses in plants and are generally recognised as safe (GRAS), e.g., inorganic salts, salicyclic acid, edible coatings (e.g., chitosan, persian gum), melatonin, ethylene and so forth. These compounds have been shown to be effective pre- and postharvest tools which can regulate different aspects of fruit ripening and senescence. The postharvest application of elicitors has been shown to prolong the storage life under cold storage by maintaining quality and nutritional value and also help alleviate chilling injury. Preharvest technologies based on the application of elicitors have also been shown to increase nutritional and sensorial quality at harvest and may assist in countering any potential negative effects of climate change.

Thus preharvest and postharvest technologies based in the application of elicitors alone or combined with other new or traditional technologies as packaging, or coating applications are being developed. The development and application of such new technologies will help alleviate the nutritional and economic losses of fresh horticulture products specially in sensitive crops under cold storage. The aim of this Research Topic is to combine innovative research on pre-and postharvest treatment with elicitors on the development of bioactive compounds and nutritional quality of fruit and vegetables. This issue will gather original research studies, mini reviews or review articles with new findings to increase the quality at harvest or prolong storability and nutritional quality of horticulture crops. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Advances in pre- and postharvest handling of perishable products;
• Emerging technologies and treatments based in new compounds applied before or after harvest;
• Development of combination treatments pre- and postharvest);
• Nutritional and biochemical value during storage;
• Alternative methods to alleviate chilling injury;
• Understanding and managing physiological disorders and decay (e.g., bitter pit, husk scald).

Keywords: storage, quality, elicitors, bioactive compounds, fruit, vegetables, eco-friendly compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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