Postharvest H2O2 treatment affects flavor quality, texture quality and ROS metabolism of ‘Hongshi’ kiwifruit fruit kept at ambient conditions

•H2O2 accelerated the ripening of postharvest kiwifruit.•H2O2 accelerated the changes of flavor and texture characteristics of postharvest kiwifruit.•H2O2 altered the ROS metabolism of postharvest kiwifruit. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 0.5 M hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on flavor, texture quality and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism in harvested ‘Hongshi’ kiwifruit. Results demonstrated that H2O2 accelerated changes in flavor detected by electronic tongue (e-tongue) and electronic nose (e-nose). In addition, H2O2 treatment promoted fruit softening, as evidenced by an earlier increment in the activities of α-amylase, total amylase, pectin lyase, and pectin methylesterase. There were higher levels of superoxide anion (O2−) and protein carbonylation in H2O2-treated fruit, even though H2O2 prompted the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) during the initial storage but decreased the activities dramatically during later storage. These results indicate that H2O2 accelerates flavor formation and softening by regulating ROS metabolism in kiwifruit.