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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Characterisation of internal oxygen concentration of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Zeyu Xiao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1044-3126 A B C * , Stephen D. Tyerman https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2455-1643 A B D , Timothy Stait-Gardner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7898-8202 C , William S. Price https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8549-4665 C , Vinay Pagay https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1916-2758 A D , Leigh M. Schmidtke https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9765-5510 A B and Suzy Y. Rogiers https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6637-3561 A B C E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.

B Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.

C Nanoscale Organisation and Dynamics Group, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.

D Department of Wine Science and Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.

E New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Wollongbar, NSW 2477, Australia.

* Correspondence to: zxiao@csu.edu.au

Handling Editor: Sergey Shabala

Functional Plant Biology 50(3) 256-265 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP21259
Submitted: 26 August 2021  Accepted: 20 November 2022   Published: 16 December 2022

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Gas exchange mechanisms play crucial roles in maintaining fruit post-harvest quality in perishable fruit such as strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The internal oxygen concentration ([O2]) of strawberry and blueberry were measured using Clark-type oxygen sensing electrodes. The volume of intercellular voids in strawberry was obtained by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). In both berries, internal [O2] was consistent and relatively high across measured tissues. The overall [O2] was well above the Michaelis constant (Km) for cytochrome c oxidase in both fruit and different from previously examined grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berry mesocarp with near zero minimum [O2]. In strawberry and blueberry, cell vitality was also maintained at full maturity in the mesocarp. Higher storage temperature (i.e. 20 vs 4°C) reduced internal [O2] of strawberry. Pedicel detachment in blueberry was associated with greater fruit dehydration and lower internal [O2] after short-term storage of 12 h. The results suggest that the intercellular voids of the fruit’s mesocarp provide an efficient gas exchange route for maintaining high fruit internal [O2] post-harvest.

Keywords: 3D microstructure, Fragaria × ananassa, intercellular voids, micro-CT, modified storage conditions, oxygen measurement, post-harvest, Vaccinium corymbosum.


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