Mechanisms of ozone regulation of sweet potato storage quality

Ozone, as a safe and environmentally friendly sterilization method, has been applied in the field of fruit and vegetable preservation. However, its preservation effects and underlying mechanisms on postharvest sweet potatoes remain unclear. This study revealed the mechanism of ozone treatment in preserving sweet potatoes through transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis. After ozone treatment, the relative content of lipids and phenolic acid metabolites in sweet potatoes increased, while the relative content of amino acids decreased. In addition, ozone treatment upregulated the expression of genes related to carotenoid biosynthesis (<italic>PSY</italic>, <italic>D27</italic>, <italic>ZEP</italic>, <italic>Z-ISO</italic>), sucrose metabolism (<italic>SPS</italic>, <italic>SUS</italic>, <italic>INV</italic>, <italic>S-AI</italic>), and disease resistance (<italic>RPM1</italic>, <italic>RPP13-LK4</italic>, <italic>R1-A</italic>, <italic>TLP</italic>). Conversely, it downregulated the expression of genes involved in lignin biosynthesis (<italic>PAL</italic>, <italic>CCoAOMT</italic>, <italic>CCR1</italic>, <italic>C4H</italic>, <italic>4CL</italic>, <italic>CAD</italic>, <italic>CA4H</italic>), and ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction (<italic>ETR2</italic>, <italic>CTR1</italic>, <italic>MATs3</italic>, <italic>ACO1</italic>, <italic>ACO3</italic>, <italic>NTF4</italic>, <italic>ACC</italic>, <italic>ERFC3</italic>, <italic>ERF4</italic>). These changes helped maintain the color, sweetness, and texture of sweet potatoes, effectively delaying their senescence.