Integrated Physiological, Transcriptomic, and Methylation Analyses Reveal Near-Freezing Temperature-Mediated Multi-Gene Expression Regulation to Preserve Postharvest Yellow Peach Quality and Antioxidant Capacity

作者：Jinglin Zhang, Chenxia Liu, Hui He, Longshen Wang, Qiankun Wang, Y. e Liang Zhang, Chunfang Wang, Xiao Wang, Bingjie Chen, Hang Fan, Yongjin Qiao, Hongru Liu · 发表于：Journal of Future Foods · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.jfutfo.2026.03.005 · 研究领域：Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management、Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance、Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies

• NFT storage alleviated chilling injury (CI) and reduced softening in yellow peach. • NFT enhanced the antioxidant capacity by activating the AsA-GSH cycle. • NFT activates the PpLOX1/3 -mediated oxidation pathway to enhance flavor quality. • The methylation and transcription of PpNAC2 jointly regulate CI and flavor. Near-freezing temperature (NFT) storage is an effective strategy for alleviating chilling injury (CI) in peach fruit; however, the metabolic dynamics and regulatory mechanisms underlying this protective process have remained poorly understood. In this study, integrated transcriptomic and DNA methylation analyses were performed to evaluate CI symptoms, antioxidant activity, and flavor quality of yellow peach fruit following NFT storage. Compared with storage at 5 °C and 0 °C, NFT storage significantly delayed CI onset, suppressed firmness loss, and reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, NFT storage enhanced the activities of glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), while also promoting the biosynthesis of glutathione and ascorbic acid—collectively indicating an elevated antioxidant capacity. Concurrently, NFT storage up-regulated PpLOX1 and PpLOX3 , thereby sustaining higher levels of key aroma-active compounds including 1-hexanol, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, and linalool, and ultimately contributing to aroma quality preservation. Integrated transcri...