Self-assembled zein-chitosan-salicylic acid nanoemulsions delay mango senescence by modulating hormone signaling and redox-related transcriptional networks

Mango, as a typical climacteric fruit, is highly susceptible to rapid senescence and quality deterioration during postharvest storage due to metabolic imbalance, excessive ethylene production, and oxidative stress, thereby posing significant challenges to the global fruit and vegetable supply chain. To address this, a novel multifunctional salicylic acid nanoemulsion (SA-NE) was fabricated via an interface engineering-driven self-assembly strategy, utilizing zein and chitosan (CS) as a composite shell to encapsulate salicylic acid (SA). Molecular docking and FTIR analyses confirmed the effective loading of SA into the Zein-CS matrix through strong hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, resulting in a stable spherical morphology with an average particle size of 247.0 nm and a high ζ-potential of +30.3 mV. The SA-NE exhibited favorable shear-thinning rheological behavior, facilitating the formation of a dense, protective coating on the fruit surface. Functional evaluations indicated that the SA-NE possessed robust antioxidant activity, significantly enhancing the scavenging rates of DPPH and ABTS radicals. Postharvest application demonstrated that SA-NE treatment significantly delayed mango ripening at 25 °C, reducing weight loss by over 50% and maintaining more than 70% of fruit firmness over a 9-day storage period. Notably, transcriptomic analysis revealed that the SA-NE maintained metabolic homeostasis and inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation by regulating the ethylene signaling genes EBF2 and ERF5, while concurrently upregulating the antioxidant defense genes CAT1 and GSTU17. In conclusion, the nanoemulsion effectively preserved postharvest mango quality through the synergistic regulation of oxidative stress and hormone signaling pathways. This study establishes a facile, biocompatible, and efficient nano-delivery strategy for mango preservation, while providing new insights into the regulatory mechanisms governing postharvest senescence in climacteric fruits.

Text 125903.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (13MB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0268...

Actions (login required)

View Item