Postharvest yellowing of vegetables impairs the nutritional quality, commercial value and shelf life of green leafy vegetables. As a critical challenge in the postharvest storage and preservation of green vegetables, it severely hinders the high-quality development of the vegetable industry. Recently, the Postharvest Processing, Nutrition and Health Group of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has systematically reviewed the occurrence mechanisms and influencing factors of postharvest yellowing in green vegetables, and focused on sorting out the application status and development prospects of artificial intelligence (AI) strategies in the regulation of this yellowing phenomenon. The relevant findings were published in Postharvest Biology and Technology, an international top journal in the field of postharvest storage and preservation, under the title of “Understanding and controlling postharvest yellowing in green vegetables: A review of mechanisms, influencing factors, and emerging AI strategies”.

This work dissects the core physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying postharvest yellowing in green vegetables. It outlines the key processes of chlorophyll degradation, carotenoid accumulation, and changes in chloroplast structure, integrating the impact of different regulatory pathways on the yellowing process (Figure 1). The review delves into the regulatory effects of various factors on postharvest yellowing, with a particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms by which environmental factors such as temperature and light, as well as vegetable characteristics and postharvest handling techniques, interact to influence yellowing (Figure 2). Concurrently, it analyzes the current research status and existing problems of yellowing prevention and control technologies, and systematically reviews the application research and development prospects of AI-driven strategies in this regard (Figure 3). This work provides significant guidance for further in-depth elucidation of precise regulatory mechanisms of postharvest yellowing and for promoting innovation and application of preservation technologies.

Graphic Abstract

Figure 1: Molecular Mechanisms and Multi-Level Regulatory Networks of Postharvest Yellowing in Vegetables

Figure 2: Key Drivers of Postharvest Yellowing in Vegetables: Interactions of Internal Factors, External Factors, and Predisposing Factors.

Figure 3: AI-Based Strategies for Regulating Postharvest Yellowing in Vegetables

Taishan Huang and Yaqi Zhao, PhD candidates from the Postharvest Processing, Nutrition and Health Research Group of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), contributed equally as the first authors. Professor Jianjun Deng is the corresponding author. This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Original Link:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521426000979#ab0020