Effects of 24-Epibrassinolide Treatment on Postharvest Browning and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in 'Youhou' Sweet Persimmon Fruit

In this study, the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on post-harvest persimmon fruits browning and antioxidant enzyme activity were investigated. 'Youhou' sweet persimmon fruits were used as raw materials. Fruits were assigned to two groups: the treatment group was immersed in a 10 μmol/L EBR solution, while the control group (CK) was treated with water only. After treatment, all fruits were stored at 1 ℃, and samples were taken for analysis on days 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 of storage to study the effect of EBR on browning of persimmon fruits and its possible mechanism. The results revealed that EBR treatment contributed to significant reductions in the browning rate, browning index, weight loss rate, decay rate, and respiration rate, and promoted increases in antioxidant enzyme activities and total phenol contents. EBR treatment promoted significant increases in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), and a reduction in the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX). These findings indicate that EBR treatment can enhance cold resistance and reduces browning and post-harvest loss in persimmon fruit by modulating antioxidant enzyme activity, thereby offering a promising approach for the post-harvest preservation of these fruits.