Light water loss delays simulation of mechanical injuries from transportation vibration of <i>Actinidia arguta</i> by inhibiting cell wall metabolism

This study aimed to investigate the effect of light water loss on the mechanical injury of <italic>Actinidia arguta</italic> fruit by regulating cell wall metabolism. By comparing the effect of water loss on mechanical injury of <italic>Actinidia arguta</italic> fruit after simulated transport vibration, the changes in sensory quality and cell wall metabolism during storage were measured, compared with non-water-loss simulated transport vibration as the control. S₁ and S₂ of hardness after light water loss were 11.53% and 13.3% lower than the CK group for the same period, and the decay rate was 1.5 and 1.36 times higher than the CK group. Light water loss slowed the growth rate of pectin and cellulose and decreased the activities of polygalacturonase (PG), pectin methylesterase (PME), pectinlyase (PL), cellulase, <italic>β</italic>-glucosidase (<italic>β</italic>-Glu), and <italic>β</italic>-galactosidase (<italic>β</italic>-Gal). Electron and transmission microscopy imaging show that light water loss helps maintain cell wall structure and slows down cell wall degradation. The results indicate that light water loss alleviates post-harvest mechanical injury in <italic>Actinidia arguta</italic> by regulating cell wall metabolism and inhibiting cell wall degradation, thereby contributing to the maintenance of cell structural integrity to maintain fruit quality.