Abstract Phenolic acids are important secondary metabolites involved in multiple physiological activities in plants, such as enzymatic activities and nutrient uptake. Given their health-promoting benefits, phenolic acids have attracted considerable research interests. However, their functions in maintaining postharvest fruit quality and suppressing disease incidence are seldom documented. Here, we reported that p-coumaric acid (p-CA) dramatically reduced the natural decay rate and maintained organoleptic quality of sweet cherry fruit, which was mainly attributed to activation of phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway and cell wall remodeling, elevated contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants and improved activities of major antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, p-CA also significantly inhibited mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum, and it also reduced patulin production from P. expansum. Collectively, these results demonstrated that p-CA can improve antioxidant capacity and defense responses of sweet cherry fruit to fungal pathogens, which may provide references for understanding the freshness-keeping mechanisms relevant to plant-derived phenolic acids.

中文翻译：

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对香豆酸诱导甜樱桃果实对真菌病原体的抗氧化能力和防御反应

摘要 酚酸是重要的次生代谢产物，参与植物的多种生理活动，如酶活性和养分吸收。鉴于其促进健康的益处，酚酸引起了相当多的研究兴趣。然而，它们在保持采后果实质量和抑制疾病发生方面的作用鲜有记载。在这里，我们报道了对香豆酸 (p-CA) 显着降低了甜樱桃果实的自然腐烂率并保持了感官品质，这主要归因于苯丙烷代谢途径和细胞壁重塑的激活，非酶促的含量升高。抗氧化剂和改善主要抗氧化酶的活性。此外，p-CA 还显着抑制 Botrytis cinerea 和 Penicillium expansum 的菌丝生长，并且它还减少了 P. expansum 的展青霉素生产。总的来说，这些结果表明p-CA可以提高甜樱桃果实的抗氧化能力和对真菌病原体的防御反应，这可能为理解与植物来源的酚酸相关的保鲜机制提供参考。