Effect of BTH on Anthocyanin Content and Activities of Related Enzymes in Strawberry after Harvest

The effect of benzo-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH) at 0.2 g L-1 on anthocyanin content and the enzymes involved in its metabolism such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), shikimate dehydrogenase (SKDH), tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate/coenzyme A ligase (4-CL), and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) fruit was investigated in this study. The result showed that BTH treatment gave higher levels of anthocyanin in strawberries during 10 days of storage at 1 degrees C. Meanwhile, the treatment also increased the activities of G6PDH, SKDH, TAL, PAL, C4H, and DFR. These results indicated that the increase in anthocyanin content by BTH might result from the activation of its related enzymes. These data are the first evidence that BTH induces enzyme activities related to anthocyanin metabolism in strawberry fruit after harvest.