Enhancing post-harvest quality of cherry tomatoes via low voltage electrostatic field and modified atmosphere packaging: Regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism

Cherry tomatoes are praised for their sweet flavor, but their post-harvest value is often diminished by rapid decay and quality deterioration during storage. This study investigated the synergistic effect of combining a low voltage electrostatic field (LVEF) with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to enhance their post-harvest quality. After 24 days of storage at 10 °C, the LVEF + MAP combination treatment significantly preserved better quality compared to either treatment applied alone. Specifically, it reduced weight loss by 65.23 % and 23.38 %, increased firmness by 7.04 % and 31.96 %, and lowered relative conductivity by 3.97 % and 9.40 %, respectively. The combined treatment also suppressed malondialdehyde accumulation, helping maintain membrane integrity, and increased total phenols and flavonoids to 2124.19 μg/g and 468.83 μg/g, respectively. Notably, combined treatment significantly enhanced the activity of key phenylpropanoid metabolism enzymes—specifically phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). Meanwhile, the LVEF + MAP treatment positively regulated phenylpropanoid metabolism by significantly upregulating genes expression of key enzymes ( SlPAL , SlC4H , Sl4CL , and SlCAD ), which stimulated lignin biosynthesis. In conclusion, the synergistic application of LVEF and MAP effectively extends the storage life and quality of cherry tomatoes, presenting a highly promising approach for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. • LVEF combined with MAP treatment better maintained the storage quality. • Combined treatment reduced malondialdehyde and membrane permeability accumulation. • The combined treatment promoted TPC, TFC, and LC accumulation. • The combined treatment reinforced the phenylpropanoid metabolism. • The storage quality of combined treatment is better than that of single treatment.