Elucidating Mechanisms of Postharvest Shelf-life in Blueberries

Blueberry is a rapidly growing commodity in the United States with a production of ~261,374 metric tonnes in 2014. One of the reasons for this increased demand is consumer awareness about it potential health benefits. However blueberry is a highly perishable commodity and has a shelf-life of 2-3 weeks. With increased production it becomes important to develop an understanding of mechanisms towards extending its shelf-life. Currently the factors that determine shelf-life extension in blueberries are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms that determine the postharvest shelf-life in blueberries. Eight blueberry cultivars were evaluated for various postharvest attributes such as fruit weight, fruit texture, soluble solids and titratable acidity during storage. Of these, we identified two cultivars with higher firmness and longer shelf-life and two other cultivars with poor fruit attributes during storage. These fruits are being evaluated for sugars, sugar-derivatives, organic acids, and flavonoids content using gas chromatography to identify metabolites that may be critical in extending shelf-life and maintaining superior fruit quality attributes. In addition, transcriptome sequencing will identify key metabolic pathways that contribute to shelf-life extension in blueberries. Collectively, this study will improve the understanding of the relationships among changes in metabolite composition and key hormone-metabolism/regulatory pathways in blueberries, and can further extend the shelf-life in blueberry.