Effects of Fumigation with Nitric Oxide on Cell Wall Metabolisms of Postharvest Feicheng Peaches

【Objective】This paper investigates metabolisms of cell wall and changes of enzymes activities in Feicheng peaches (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch., cv. Feicheng) fumigated with nitric oxide (NO). It discusses the action mechanisms of NO to provide basic data for storage of Feicheng peaches with NO. 【Method】The peaches were fumigated with 0, 5, 10 and 15 μl·L-1 NO for 2 hours, then stored at 5 and 27℃. The cell wall enzymes and changes of each fruit were detected. 【Result】5 and 10 μl·L-1 NO could reduce significantly the activities of PME and EGase in peach fruits stored at 5 and 27℃ and delay the degradations of hemicellulose and cellulose.They could also restrain the increase of soluble pectin and the decrease of ionic pectin. 5 and 10 μl·L-1 NO improved exo-PG and endo-PG activities and alleviated woolliness of peach fruit in storage. 15 μl·L-1 NO treated fruits showed the toxicity of NO. 【Conclusion】In the course of softening, the increase of soluble pectin was mostly from the degradation of ionic pectin, which may be a specific character of the Feicheng peach. The 5 and 10 μl·L-1 NO treatment maintained the integrity of flesh cell, changed the effect of low temperature on the balance between PME and PG, and alleviated the chilling injury in peach. The inhibitions of 5 and 10 μl·L-1 NO on metabolism of cell wall in peach fruits depended on time. It was also proven that NO haddual biological effects.