Accumulating evidence shows that hydrogen sulfide (H
2S) plays various physiological roles in plants, such as seed germination, root organogenesis, abiotic stress tolerance, and senescence of cut flowers. However, whether H
2S participates in the regulation of ripening and senescence in postharvest fruits remains unknown. In the present study, the effect of H
2S on postharvest shelf life and antioxidant metabolism in strawberry fruits was investigated. Fumigation with H
2S gas released from the H
2S donor NaHS prolonged postharvest shelf life of strawberry fruits in a dose-dependent manner. Strawberry fruits fumigated with various concentrations of H
2S sustained significantly lower rot index, higher fruit firmness, and kept lower respiration intensity and polygalacturonase
activities than controls. Further investigation showed that H
2S treatment maintained higher
activities of catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase and lower
activities of lipoxygenase relative to untreated controls. H
2S also reduced malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion to levels below control fruits during storage. Moreover, H
2S treatment maintained higher contents of reducing sugars, soluble proteins, free amino acid, and
endogenous H
2S in fruits. We interpret these data as indicating that H
2S plays an antioxidative role in prolonging postharvest shelf life of strawberry fruits.
Keywords:
Hydrogen sulfide; strawberry fruits; postharvest shelf life; enzymes&qsSearchArea=searchText">antioxidative enzymes; reactive oxygen species