Salicylic acid treatment of peach trees maintains nutritional quality of fruits during cold storage

Peach trees were treated with salicylic acid at 0 (control) and 1.5 mM at 15 days before harvest to study the impacts of salicylic acid on nutritional quality of peach fruits at harvest and during storage at 1°C for 28 days. Total phenols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid contents were significantly higher in salicylic acid treated peach fruits after cold storage, leading to fruits with higher DPPH• and FRAP radicals scavenging capacity. In addition, peach fruits treated with salicylic acid exhibited higher antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity after storage at 1°C for 2-4 week, leading to fruits with higher firmness and lower weight loss. Thus, salicylic acid treatment of peach trees could increase nutritional quality of peach fruits consumption, due to its effect on increasing antioxidant molecules, with additional effect on delaying the fruit postharvest senescence by increasing the ROS scavenging enzymes activity