New insights into the heterogeneous ripening in Hass avocado via LC–MS/MS proteomics

• Published in: Postharvest biology and technology 2017-10, Vol.132, p.51-61
• Main Authors: Fuentealba, Claudia, Hernández, Ignacia, Olaeta, J.A., Defilippi, Bruno, Meneses, Claudio, Campos, Reinaldo, Lurie, Susan, Carpentier, Sebastien, Pedreschi, Romina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Cell wall enzymes; Cell walls; Detoxification; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Fatty acids; Fruits; Gel-free proteomics; Harvest; Heterogeneity; Logistics; Metabolism; Navigation behavior; Persea americana; Protein folding; Proteins; Proteolysis; Proteomics; Ripening; Storage; Storage conditions; Sugar
• ISSN: 0925-5214; 1873-2356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2017.06.001

•Gel-free proteomics discriminated between ripening avocado phenotypes.•Sugar and amino nucleotide proteins were more abundant in slow ripening fruit.•Protein synthesis, translation and folding were altered in slow ripening avocados.•Slow ripening fruit displayed higher abundance of proteins involved in proteolysis. Hass avocado postharvest ripening heterogeneity creates several logistics problems at destination markets. Although several approaches mainly based on targeted analysis have been undertaken to broaden our understanding of the potential causes of this postharvest ripening heterogeneity, still the secret is not yet unveiled. In this study biopsies from individual fruit displaying contrasting ripening behavior (slow vs fast) and subjected to different storage conditions (immediately after harvest, 30 d regular air at 5°C and 30 d at 5°C and 4kPa O2 and 6kPa CO2) were analyzed for targeted fatty acid analysis and cell wall enzyme activity combined with a more integrative approach based on gel free proteomics LC–MS/MS. The high throughput proteomics was capable of discriminating between slow and fast ripening avocado fruit. Proteins that were mainly less abundant in the slow ripening phenotype were annotated to correct protein folding, translation and de novo synthesis and higher abundant proteins were annotated to amino sugar and nucleotide metabolism, detoxification and stress response and proteolysis. Our study opens new insights into the causes of heterogeneous ripening and may provide new markers for avocado ripening at harvest and after prolonged storage.