Responses of reactive oxygen metabolism and quality in mango fruit to exogenous oxalic acid or salicylic acid under chilling temperature stress

After being immersed in water, oxalic acid (OA) or salicylic acid (SA) aqueous solutions, mango ( Mangifera indica L. cv. Zill) fruit were stored at 14°C or at 5°C with shelf life to determine the effects of exogenous OA or SA on reactive oxygen metabolism, quality and chilling injury (CI) of the fruit. Mango CI could be reduced by OA and SA treatments. Compared with that in control, accompanied with alleviated CI at shelf life, fruit treated with OA or SA had significantly higher reduction states of ascorbate and glutathione. Moreover, the treated fruit showed lower superoxide anion content, higher hydrogen peroxide content, lower lipoxygenase (EC 1.13.11.12) activity and higher activities of superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1), catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), guaiacol peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) and glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2). In addition, fruit firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acidity content were not obviously affected by OA and SA treatments. It was suggested that the effect of OA or SA on mango CI probably attributed to more reducing status of ascorbate and glutathione, less O 2 − accumulation and more H 2 O 2 accumulation.