Postharvest Abiotic Stress Reshaping Flavor Profiles in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Challenges Beyond Shelf Life

Flavor quality of fresh fruits and vegetables is a key indicator contributing to their overall quality. However, postharvest cold chain management encounters significant challenges in terms of flavor loss in fruits and vegetables. Emerging evidence suggests that some abiotic stresses can be strategically applied to enhance flavor attributes. In this review, we outlined the impact of diverse postharvest abiotic stresses including environmental fluctuations, mechanical injury, non-thermal technologies and chemical elicitors on volatile organic compounds of fruits and vegetables, highlighted their effects on metabolic rerouting of primary precursors into secondary volatile organic compounds, focusing on the biochemical mechanisms governing the “dual-edged” effects of stress on flavor enhancement versus deterioration, established a strategic framework for leveraging postharvest abiotic stressors as a means to actively induce and enhance the flavor quality and volatile organic compounds of fresh fruits and vegetables.