Riboflavin application delays senescence and relieves decay in harvested strawberries during cold storage by improving antioxidant system

After harvest, strawberry fruits are susceptible to mechanical damage and fungal decay, which is extremely detrimental to storage and preservation. Here we performed riboflavin treatment at 20, 40, and 80 μM to delay senescence and reduce microbial growth in strawberry fruits during cold storage for 12 d. The results exhibited that riboflavin treatment inhibited the decay, color deterioration and microbial growth as well as maintained total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acid (TA), ascorbic acid (AsA), firmness and weight. Riboflavin treatment maintained the contents of antioxidant agents during storage period. We also retrieved that riboflavin treatment reduced the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), whereas improved total phenol content (TPC). The improvement of the antioxidant system caused by enhanced catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities reduced H2O2 content, inhibiting membrane peroxidation in strawberries. In conclusion, riboflavin treatment can effectively extend the shelf-life of strawberries, maintain their morphology and nutritional quality, and delay postharvest senescence.