Effects of paper containing 1-MCP postharvest treatment on the disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides and softening in Younai plum fruit during storage

Disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides accompanied with softening is very common in harvested fruits. To develop a facile postharvest approach, which can be used at ambient temperature, for suppressing softening and maintaining higher nutritive cell wall polysaccharides of Younai plums, influences of paper containing 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on firmness, activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and contents of cell wall polysaccharide in Younai plums during storage at 25 +/- 1 degrees C were investigated. As compared to the control plums, 1.2 mu L.L-1 1-MCP-treated plums exhibited higher firmness, lower activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes (pectinesterase, polygalacturonase, cellulase and beta-galactosidase), higher contents of cell wall polysaccharides (sodium carbonate-soluble pectin, chelate-soluble pectin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses), and lower content of water-soluble pectin. The results suggested that paper containing 1-MCP, which was convenient to apply under ambient temperature, could significantly inhibit activities of cell wall degrading-enzymes and decrease disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides, and subsequently retard softening in Younai plums.