Transcriptome and metabolome analysis of low temperature storage on fruit quality deterioration of mangoes

Abstract Mango, a typical respiratory climacteric fruit, is susceptible to a short shelf life and quality deterioration during post-harvest ripening. Though low temperature can prolong the storage time significantly, its side effects on fruit quality remains to be elucidated. Through a combination of transcriptome and metabolome analyses, this study aimed to elucidate the effects of low-temperature storage on the biosynthesis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), flavonoids, sucrose, and the degradation of organic acids. Carbohydrate-related metabolism maintained high activity under 13°C by up-regulating the expression of certain gene members in the neutral invertase (NI), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and sucrose synthetase (SS) families. Similarly, low temperature suppressed the expression of an ethylene receptor (ETR) gene (mango007369), compensated by another member in ETR family (mango016667). The increased accumulation of flavonoids under l3°C aligned with the enhanced expression of genes related to flavonoid synthesis in mango fruit, such as F3H, F3’H and CHI. However, in comparison to storage at 30°C, low temperature storage reduced the total soluble solids (TSS) in the fruit, but increased the accumulation of several organic acids. Whereas low temperature almost entirely inhibited the synthesis of VOCs, which further pull down the commercial quality. The findings of this study revealed the impact of storage temperature on mango quality and offer insights for maintaining quality under low-temperature conditions.