Effects of postharvest heat treatment on the fatty acid composition and chilling injury of loquat fruits during the cold storage

It was investigated that the effects of high-temperature (45°C) and short-time (3 h) hot air treatment on the fatty acid composition and chilling injury (CI) of loquat fruits (Jiefangzhong) during storage at 5°C for 5 weeks. Results showed that, compared with control, heat treatment significantly reduce the content of lauric acid (12:0), myristic acid (14:0), palmitic acid (16:0) and stearic acid (18:0) during the whole storage, increased the content of oleic acid (18:1) and linoleic acid (18:2) at the later of storage, and then caused higher value of the ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acid. This treatment reduced the symptoms of CI and improved the resistance to chilling stress.