Composition, metabolism and postharvest function and regulation of fruit cuticle: A review

•Composition of fruit cuticle are introduced.•Fruit cuticle metabolism, and regulation of transcriptional factors, phytohormones and environmental elements are reviewed.•Postharvest functions of fruit cuticle are discussed.•Postharvest regulatory technologies of fruit cuticle are summarized. The cuticle of plants, a hydrophobic membrane that covers their aerial organs, is crucial to their ability to withstand biotic and abiotic stressors. Fruit is the reproductive organ of plants, and an important dietary source that can offer a variety of nutrients for the human body, and fruit cuticle performs a crucial protective role in fruit development and postharvest quality. This review discusses the universality and diversity of the fruit cuticle composition, and systematically summarizes the metabolic process of fruit cuticle, including the biosynthesis, transport and regulatory factors (including transcription factors, phytohormones and environmental elements) of fruit cuticle. Additionally, we emphasize the postharvest functions and postharvest regulatory technologies of fruit cuticle, and propose future research directions for fruit cuticle.