Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #249389

Title: Effect of allyl isothiocyanate on antioxidant enzyme activities, flavonoids and fruit quality of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L., cv. Duke)

Author
item Wang, Shiow
item CHEN, CHITSUN - Hualin District Agricultural Research

Submitted to: Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/2010
Publication Date: 10/15/2010
Citation: Wang, S.Y., Chen, C. 2010. Effect of allyl isothiocyanate on antioxidant enzyme activities, flavonoids and fruit quality of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L., cv. Duke). Food Chemistry. 122:1153-1158.

Interpretive Summary: Blueberries are highly perishable, susceptible to rapid spoilage and have short market shelf-life. We treated blueberries with a natural plant product, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), and evaluated its efficacy on maintaining fruit quality such as sugar and organic acid content and the changes of compositions of anthocyanins and phenolic acid in blueberries during storage. We found that AITC was effective in maintaining higher amounts of sugars and lower acids compared to untreated fruit during storage. However, AITC did not increase antioxidant enzyme activities and levels of phenolic acids and anthocyanins. This information can be used by other scientists to develop new and specific methods of maintaining quality of blueberries.

Technical Abstract: The effect of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) on antioxidant enzyme activities, flavonoid content, and fruit quality of blueberries var. Duke (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) was evaluated. Results from this study showed that AITC was effective in maintaining higher amounts of sugars and lower organic acids compared to untreated fruit during storage at 10 'C. However, AITC reduced antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (G-POD), glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-POD), ascorbate peroxidase (AsA-POD), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) and glutathione reductase (GR)] and nonenzyme components, ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH). AITC treatments also reduced the amount of phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, myricetin 3- arabinoside, quercetin 3-galactoside, quercetin 3-arabinoside, and kaempferol 3-glucoside) and anthocyanins (delphinidin 3-galactoside, delphinidon 3-glucoside, delphinidin 3-arabinoside, petunidin 3-galactoside, petunidin 3-glucoside, petunidin 3-arabinoside, malvidin 3-galactoside, and malvidin 3-arabinoside) during storage at 10 'C. The results from this study indicate that AITC does not promote antioxidant property or scavenge constitutive reactive oxygen species (ROS), but maintain blueberry fruit quality through other mechanisms.