Research progress on the mechanism and application of polyamines in postharvest preservation of fruit and vegetables

• Collect and analyze the content of PA in F & V and its detection methods. • Exogenous PA regulates the physiological metabolism of Fruit and Vegetables. • New Insights and Application Prospects of PA in Fruit and Vegetables. In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that polyamines (PA) play an important role in delaying the senescence of postharvest fruit and vegetables, maintaining storage quality and extending shelf life. This article systematically reviews the latest research progress of polyamines in the postharvest field of fruit and vegetables, with a focus on elaborating the distribution characteristics and metabolic patterns of endogenous PA content in fruit and vegetables, and deeply explores the mechanism of exogenous PA treatment in regulating the postharvest quality of fruit and vegetables. The article analyzes in detail the mechanism of PA on maintaining the postharvest quality and extending the shelf life of fruit and vegetables, and systematically summarizes the positive effects of exogenous PA on the postharvest preservation of fruit and vegetables. These effects are mainly reflected in increasing the content of endogenous PA, delaying the softening process, inhibiting the generation rate of ethylene, alleviating cold damage symptoms, and enhancing antioxidant capacity, etc. Finally, this paper discusses the main problems existing in the application of PA at present, and prospectically proposes new strategies and development directions for the combined use of PA with other preservation technologies to extend the postharvest life of fruit and vegetables.