Role of the plum cuticle layer in influencing fruit texture and permeation during the salting process

Dongjie Liu; Haoyu Zhou; Hua Huang; Qin Wang; Dehui Lin; Shuxiang Liu; Wen Qin; Gengsheng Xiao

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142598

Role of the plum cuticle layer in influencing fruit texture and permeation during the salting process

Food Chem. 2024 Dec 24:469:142598. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142598. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Dongjie Liu¹, Haoyu Zhou¹, Hua Huang², Qin Wang³, Dehui Lin⁴, Shuxiang Liu⁵, Wen Qin⁵, Gengsheng Xiao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Green Processing and Intelligent Manufacturing of Lingnan Specialty Food of Ministry and Rural Affairs, College of Light Industry and Food, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
² Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Key Laboratory of Green Processing and Intelligent Manufacturing of Lingnan Specialty Food of Ministry and Rural Affairs, College of Light Industry and Food, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China; Maoming Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Maoming 525000, China.
⁴ Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Hazard Factors Assessment in Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
⁵ School of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625000, Sichuan, China.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Green Processing and Intelligent Manufacturing of Lingnan Specialty Food of Ministry and Rural Affairs, College of Light Industry and Food, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39733569
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142598

Abstract

'Tuogu' and 'Bingtang' plums display unique textural responses to salt curing, manifesting in volume reduction, surface wrinkling, and alterations in color and texture, alongside ongoing material exchange. Over a seven-day salting period, 'Tuogu' plums lost 14.9 % of their moisture, compared to 'Bingtang' plums' 24.8 %, with salt permeability rates of 5.0 % and 5.2 %, respectively. Cuticle analysis revealed that the dominant component of the cutin monomers in both fruits was fatty acids, accounting for over 90 %, while the wax composition was predominantly very long-chain alkanes and triterpenoids, also constituting over 90 %. 'Tuogu' plums, with their rich waxes and dense, thick cuticle, showed enhanced barrier properties against material exchange, whereas 'Bingtang' plums, with their abundant cutin monomers, exhibited increased elasticity and material exchange capacity.

Keywords: Cuticle; Permeation; Plum; Salting; Water loss.