Short-term post-harvest stress that affects profiles of volatile organic compounds and gene expression in rocket salad during early post-harvest senescence

Once harvested, leaves undergo a process of senescence which shares some features with developmental senescence. These include changes in gene expression, metabolites, and loss of photosynthetic capacity. Of particular interest in fresh produce are changes in nutrient content and the aroma, which is dependent on the profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Leafy salads are subjected to multiple stresses during and shortly after harvest, including mechanical damage, storage or transport under different temperature regimes, and low light. These are thought to impact on later shelf life performance by altering the progress of post-harvest senescence. Short term stresses in the first 24 h after harvest were simulated in wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia). These included dark (ambient temperature), dark and wounding (ambient temperature), and storage at 4 °C in darkness. The effects of stresses were monitored immediately afterwards and after one week of storage at 10 °C. Expression changes in two NAC transcription factors (orthologues of ANAC059 and ANAC019), and a gene involved in isothiocyanate production (thiocyanate methyltransferase, TMT) were evident immediately after stress treatments with some expression changes persisting following storage. Vitamin C loss and microbial growth on leaves were also affected by stress treatments. VOC profiles were differentially affected by stress treatments and the storage period. Overall, short term post-harvest stresses affected multiple aspects of rocket leaf senescence during chilled storage even after a week. However, different stress combinations elicited different responses.