Abstract
Mature red lychee fruit were stored at 3 different temperature and relative humidity regimes. Total anthocyanin concentration, pigment distribution, pH of the pericarp homogenate, Hunter a values (redness index), and visual colour were measured as a function of pericarp weight loss. Pericarp colour rapidly deteriorated during both ambient and high temperature storage, resulting in a uniform browning of the pericarp surface. The degree of tissue browning was proportional to the rate of pericarp desiccation. Although anthocyanin degradation occurred concurrently with tissue browning, visual colour and Hunter a values were not consistent with total anthocyanin concentration. Instead, a more significant correlation was seen between Hunter a values and the pH of the pericarp homogenate. Pericarp colour could be altered by external pH. Acidification of whole fruit increased pericarp redness, whereas alkaline treatment caused discoloration. Both colour responses occurred independently of anthocyanin synthesis and degradation and were completely reversible. These results question the current theory that browning is due to anthocyanin degradation. No evidence of browning was observed in the anthocyanin-containing mesocarp, and acidification of already brown tissue significantly increased pericarp redness independently of anthocyanin synthesis. We believe that anthocyanin pigments were progressively decolorised during ambient storage, possibly due to changes in pericarp pH. Once colourless, independent tissue browning became visual and was enhanced.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Pericarp colour deteriorated rapidly during ambient and high temperature storage, with uniform browning.
- Taxon
- lychee
Litchi chinensist0 - Treatment
- ambient and high temperature storagee0
- Outcome
- Pericarp coloure0
- Direction
- deterioratede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pericarp colour rapidly deteriorated during both ambient and high temperature storage, resulting in a uniform browning of the pericarp surface.”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Tissue browning was proportional to pericarp desiccation rate.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Organ / stage
- pericarpe0
- Outcome
- degree of tissue browninge0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The degree of tissue browning was proportional to the rate of pericarp desiccation.”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Anthocyanin degradation occurred concurrently with tissue browning.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Compound
- anthocyanine0
- Outcome
- tissue browninge0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“anthocyanin degradation occurred concurrently with tissue browning”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Visual colour and Hunter a values were inconsistent with total anthocyanin concentration.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Compound
- total anthocyanin concentratione0
- Outcome
- visual colour and Hunter a valuese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“visual colour and Hunter a values were not consistent with total anthocyanin concentration”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Hunter a values correlated more strongly with pericarp homogenate pH.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Organ / stage
- pericarpe0
- Compound
- pHe0
- Outcome
- Hunter a valuese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a more significant correlation was seen between Hunter a values and the pH of the pericarp homogenate”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
External pH altered pericarp colour.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Treatment
- external pHe0
- Outcome
- Pericarp coloure0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pericarp colour could be altered by external pH.”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Acidification increased pericarp redness.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Treatment
- Acidification of whole fruite0
- Outcome
- pericarp rednesse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Acidification of whole fruit increased pericarp redness”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Alkaline treatment caused discoloration.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Treatment
- alkaline treatmente0
- Outcome
- discoloratione0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“alkaline treatment caused discoloration”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Both pH colour responses were reversible and independent of anthocyanin synthesis and degradation.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Outcome
- Both colour responsese0
- Qualifier
- completely reversiblee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both colour responses occurred independently of anthocyanin synthesis and degradation and were completely reversible.”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
No browning was observed in anthocyanin-containing mesocarp.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Organ / stage
- mesocarpe0
- Outcome
- browninge0
- Direction
- No evidencee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“No evidence of browning was observed in the anthocyanin-containing mesocarp”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Acidification of brown tissue significantly increased redness without anthocyanin synthesis.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Treatment
- acidificatione0
- Outcome
- pericarp rednesse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- independently of anthocyanin synthesise0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“acidification of already brown tissue significantly increased pericarp redness independently of anthocyanin synthesis”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors suggest pigments progressively decolorised during ambient storage, possibly due to pH changes.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Compound
- pHe0
- Outcome
- anthocyanin pigments were progressively decolorisede0
- Direction
- decolorisede0
- Qualifier
- possiblye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“anthocyanin pigments were progressively decolorised during ambient storage, possibly due to changes in pericarp pH”
t0“lychee”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors suggest browning became visible and enhanced once pigments became colourless.
- Taxon
- lycheeLitchi chinensist0
- Outcome
- tissue browning became visual and was enhancede0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- Once colourlesse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Once colourless, independent tissue browning became visual and was enhanced.”
t0“lychee”