title: Cell wall modifications and ethylene-induced tolerance to non-chilling peel pitting in citrus fruit.
abstract: Non-chilling peel pitting (NCPP), a storage disorder resulting in the formation of depressed areas in the peel of many citrus cultivars, is reduced by ethylene treatments. We hypothesized that this effect may be associated with biochemical changes of cell wall components. Therefore, we extracted cell wall material from albedo and flavedo tissues of 'Navelate' oranges stored in air, conditioned with ethylene (2μLL(-1)) for 4 days and subsequently transferred to air, or continuously stored in an ethylene-enriched atmosphere (2μLL(-1)). Uronic acids and neutral sugars were extracted into five fractions enriched in specific wall polymers namely water-, CDTA-, Na2CO3-, and 1 and 4M KOH-soluble fractions. Pectin insolubilization was found in control fruit at long storage times. Ethylene treatments, alleviating NCPP, increased polyuronide solubility in the albedo and had a slight effect on the flavedo. Ethylene-treated fruit showed greater content of water-soluble neutral sugars and a larger proportion of hemicelluloses readily extractable with 1M KOH, with a concomitant reduction in the 4M KOH-soluble fraction. This suggests that the protective role of ethylene on NCPP is associated with an increased solubilization of the wall of albedo cells.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, CONICET-UNLP, 47 y 116, La Plata 1900, Argentina. arielvicente@quimica.unlp.edu.ar
authors.forename: Ariel R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Manganaris
authors.forename: Ioannis S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Minas
authors.forename: Vlasios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goulas
authors.forename: María T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lafuente
mesh_terms: D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002241:Carbohydrates; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism; D032084:Citrus sinensis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010368:Pectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D012995:Solubility; D014574:Uronic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D005030:Ethylenes; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014574:Uronic Acids; C007916:hemicellulose; D010368:Pectins; D002482:Cellulose; C036216:ethylene
keywords: Albedo; Alcohol insoluble residue; Ethylene conditioning; Flavedo; Pectin; Physiological disorder