Postharvest Storage Procedures and Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress in fruits and vegetables can be detected either directly (as accumulations in reactive oxygen species, increases in lipid peroxidation products, enhanced membrane leakage, or accumulation of brown pigments) or indirectly (as changes in antioxidant components or antioxidant enzyme systems). How all of these measures of oxidative stress relate to each other and how they are associated with the development of postharvest disorders have not been previously discussed in a generalized overview. While there have been great strides in understanding the interrelation of stress perception by the plant tissue and the attempt by the tissues to cope with that stress in the plant eco-physiology literature, postharvest physiology literature of fruits and vegetables has not advanced as far. The intent of this discussion is to bridge the understanding from eco-physiology of plants to improve perspective and interpretation of observations which currently exists in the postharvest physiology literature.