The calcium-mediated homogalacturonan pectin complexation in cell walls contributes the firmness increase in loquat fruit during postharvest storage.

Introduction: Postharvest textural changes in fruit are mainly divided into softening and lignification. Loquat fruit could have severe lignification with increased firmness during postharvest storage. Pectin is mainly associated with the postharvest softening of fruit, but some studies also found that pectin could be involved in strengthening the mechanical properties of the plant.

Objectives: This study focused on characterizing the dynamics of pectin and its complexation in the cell wall of lignified loquat fruit during postharvest storage, and how these changes could influence fruit firmness.

Methods: The homogalacturonan (HG) pectin in the cell wall of loquat fruit was identified using monoclonal antibodies. An oligogalacturonide (OG) probe was used to label the egg-box structure formed by Ca cross-linking with low-methylesterified HG. An exogenous injection was used to verify the role of egg-box structures in the firmness increase in loquat fruit.

Results: The JIM5 antibody revealed that low-methylesterified HG accumulated in the tricellular junctions and middle lamella of loquat fruit that had severe lignification symptoms. The pectin methylesterase (PME) activity increased during the early stages of storage at 0 °C, and the calcium-pectate content and flesh firmness constantly increased during storage. The OG probe demonstrated the accumulation of egg-box structures at the cellular level. The exogenous injection of PME and Ca into the loquat flesh led to an increase in firmness with more low-methylesterified HG and egg-box structure signals.

Conclusion: PME-mediated demethylesterification generated large amounts of low-methylesterified HG in the cell wall. This low-methylesterified HG further cross-linked with Ca to form egg-box structures. The pectin-involved complexations then contributed to the increased firmness in loquat fruit. Overall, besides being involved in fruit softening, pectin could also be involved in strengthening the mechanical properties of postharvest fruit. This study provides new ideas for obtaining a better texture of postharvest loquat fruits based on pectin regulation.