Use of spermidine to preserve organic acids, polyphenols, and quality of cold stored plum fruits

One of the primary goals of fruit production and storage is to ensure pre-and post-harvest food quality. Polyamines have recently been used to improve food quality after harvest. We used spermidine concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mM in plum fruits for 20 and 40 days of cold storage. Each dose provided significantly higher preservation of sensory properties, organic acids, and phenolic compounds than the control, with a gradual improvement by doses. Malic acid was the predominant organic acid and was gradually preserved by spermidine doses, including 25% more malic acid for the 1.5 mM spermidine treatment. Similarly, chlorogenic acid, the most abundant phenolic compound studied, was also 25% higher when the spermidine dose rose to 1.5 mM. The 1.5 mM spermidine notably inhibited weight loss and respiration rate. Organic acids and phenolic compounds were particularly protected by the 1 and 1.5 mM doses, and multivariate approaches suggested that spermidine has a comprehensive stability effect on secondary metabolites. This study proposes spermidine as a comprehensive metabolic preserver that protects polyphenols and organic acids, thus preserving the taste and healthiness of cold-stored plum fruits.