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Article

Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Softening of Winter Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao)

by
Sitong Jia
1,
Na Zhang
2,
Chenghu Dong
2,
Pufan Zheng
2,
Haipeng Ji
2,
Jinze Yu
2,
Shijie Yan
1,
Cunkun Chen
2,* and
Liya Liang
3,*
1
College of Food Science and Biological Engineering, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China
2
Institute of Agricultural Products Preservation and Processing Technology (National Engineering Technology Research Center for Preservation of Agriculture Product), Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Postharvest Physiology and Storage of Agricultural Products, Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Postharvest Physiology and Storage of Agricultural Products, Tianjin 300384, China
3
College of Agronomy and Resources and Environment, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090986
Submission received: 9 August 2023 / Revised: 25 August 2023 / Accepted: 30 August 2023 / Published: 1 September 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Physiology and Disease of Fruits, Volume II)
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Abstract

:
Cold plasma (CP) is a green and efficient preservation technology, but its effect on preventing the postharvest softening of fruits and vegetables is still unclear, and the effects of different CP intensities on the postharvest softening of winter jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) have been little studied. In this study, we investigated the effects of different CP intensities (0 kV, 40 kV, and 80 kV) on the postharvest storage quality of winter jujubes and the activities of key enzymes related to softening during storage. The results showed that compared with the control group, the contents of firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and vitamin C (VC) in the CP treatment group were higher and the respiratory intensity and weight loss rate were lower. In addition, CP treatment can also inhibit the degradation of protopectin and cellulose and the accumulation of soluble pectin. Moreover, CP treatment inhibited the activities of polygalacturonase (PG), pectin methyl esterase (PME), 3α-L-arabinoside (α-L-Af), 4β-galactosidase (β-gal), cellulase (Cx), and β-glucosidase (β-Glu). This shows that CP treatment has a positive effect on the preservation of winter jujubes, and the preservation effect of the 80 kV treatment was better than that of the 40 kV treatment. This provides a certain basis for cold plasma treatment in the preservation of winter jujubes.

1. Introduction

Winter jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) are produced in the Yellow River basin of China, which has a history of planting for more than 4000 years [1,2]. Winter jujubes are cultivated in northern China and distributed to other areas such as South Korea, Iran, Israel, and Australia [3]. Winter jujubes are favored by consumers because of their unique taste, crisp fruit texture, and rich nutrition [4,5]. However, the pectin and cellulose in winter jujubes are gradually degraded due to the respiratory metabolism and post-maturation aging of winter jujubes, which leads to a reduction in firmness, degradation of storage quality, and loss of economic value [6]. Although traditional chemical preservatives have a certain delayed effect on the softening of winter jujubes, this effect is not remarkable and the residue of chemical preservatives is also a worrying food safety problem [7].
Cold plasma (CP) is an ionized gas that contains active antibacterial substances and has the characteristics of small damage, no residue, and no harmful substances. So, cold plasma is a green fresh-keeping technology [8]. Zhou et al. [9] found that CP-treated (40 kV) cantaloupe had slower surface microbial growth and improved sensory quality. Min et al. [10] also found that CP treatment (35 kV) could slow down the microbial growth rate on tomato surfaces. Similar phenomena have been demonstrated in studies of blueberries (80 kV) [11], pitaya (60 kV) [12], apples (15 kV) [13], and strawberries (60 kV) [14]. However, it is worth noting that our previous research found that high-intensity (90 kV) CP treatment brought harm to tomatoes (the 90 kV CP treatment decreased the physiological quality of the tomatoes during storage, increased the activities of chlorophyll-related enzymes, and upregulated the expression of key enzyme genes related to chlorophyll metabolism) [15]. At present, a lot of research has mainly focused on the relationship between storage quality and the bacteriostatic effect of postharvest fruits and vegetables that have undergone CP treatment, but there is little research on the anti-softening effect of CP treatment on postharvest winter jujubes.
In winter jujubes, pectin and cellulose are key to maintaining hardness, and the degradation of pectin and cellulose is a sign of softening of winter jujubes [16,17]. Studies have shown that protopectin, which plays an important role in cell adhesion and cell strength, is reduced to soluble pectin under the joint action of polygalacturonase (PG), pectinesterase (PME), 3α-L-arabinofuranosidase (α-L-Af), and 4β-galactosidase (β-gal) [18,19,20]. In the primary layer, cellulose, as a skeleton support, is decomposed into monosaccharides under the joint action of cellulase (Cx) and β-glucosidase (β-Glu), eventually leading to the softening of winter jujubes [18,19,21]. Studies have pointed out that CP affects the PME activity of many fruits such as melons and pears [22,23]. Guo et al. [24] found that the activities of PG, Cx, and β-Glu decreased after X-ray irradiation of winter jujubes, thus slowing down the softening of winter jujubes. In addition, studies have shown that inhibition of PG, PME, Cx, and β-Glu activities can slow down decreases in the pectin and cellulose contents of winter jujubes [25]. Our previous research also found that CP treatment was useful for delaying the reduction in tomato firmness; however, there are relatively few studies on the effects of CP treatment on the pectin, cellulose metabolism, and related enzyme activities of postharvest winter jujubes during storage. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether CP treatment has a positive effect on the storage quality and firmness of postharvest winter jujubes and the effect of high-intensity CP treatment on the storage quality and firmness of winter jujubes. This study provides basic data for the large-scale application of CP treatment technology.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Experimental Materials and Cold Plasma Treatment

The fresh winter jujubes used in this experiment were collected from Tianfeng Agricultural Ecological Park, Jinghai, Tianjin, China. The moisture content/weight percentage of the winter jujubes was 75.62%. The CP generator was provided by the National Agricultural Products Preservation Engineering Technology Research Center (Tianjin, China). The gas used for processing was air. The winter jujubes were treated for 10 min under 0 kV, 40 kV, and 80 kV, respectively. The sample size for each treatment group was 1200 winter jujubes. The distance between the CP generator and the sample was 5 cm. The winter jujubes were packaged with a microporous membrane after treatment. The winter jujubes were put into microporous membranes after treatment and stored at 0 ± 1 °C. The relative humidity of the environment was 85 ± 5%. Sampling and observation were conducted at 0 days, 14 days, 28 days, 42 days, 56 days, and 70 days, and the value measured on 0 days was taken as the initial value.

2.2. Respiration Intensity

The respiratory intensity of the winter jujubes was measured using the method of Chen et al. [26]. The winter jujubes were placed in a sealed tank (2500 mL) for 3 h, and then the CO2 content in the sealed tank was measured by an O2/CO2 gas analyzer (Check Point, Shanghai Jinchuan Mechatronics Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China). Three parallel measurements were made for each treatment group, and the results were expressed as average values, the unit of which was mgCO2·kg−1·h−1.

2.3. Firmness

The firmness of the winter jujubes was measured by a texture analyzer (TA. XT plus, Stable Micro Systems Ltd., Surrey, Godalming, UK). The measurement parameters were as follows: the probe diameter was 1 mm, the puncture depth was 8 mm, and two points were measured at the equatorial position for each winter jujube. Twenty parallel measurements were made for each treatment group, and the results were expressed as mean values. The units were in terms of N.

2.4. Weight Loss

The weight loss rate of the winter jujubes was determined using our previous method [15]. Each treatment group was measured 4 times in parallel. The results were expressed as percentages with their standard deviations.

2.5. Total Soluble Solids (TSS)

The TSS content of the winter jujubes was determined using Wu et al.’s [27] method. Each treatment group was measured 4 times in parallel. The results were expressed as percentages with their standard deviations.

2.6. Titratable Acids (TA)

The TA content of the winter jujubes was determined according to the method of Ali et al. [28]. Each treatment group was measured 4 times in parallel. The results were expressed as percentages with their standard deviations.

2.7. Vitamin C (VC)

The content of VC in the winter jujubes was determined using the method of Yu et al. [29], and each treatment group was measured three times. The results were expressed as average values, and the unit was mg·100 g−1.

2.8. Protopectin, Soluble Pectin, and Cellulose Contents

The contents of protopectin, soluble pectin, and cellulose in winter jujubes were measured by an enzyme-linked biological kit (Shanghai MLBIO Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China). Three parallel determinations were made in each treatment group, and the results were expressed as average values. The unit of protopectin content was mg·g−1 fresh weight, and the unit of soluble pectin content and cellulose content was mg·g−1 dry weight.

2.9. Activities of Polygalacturonase (PG), Pectin Methyl Esterase (PME), 3α-L-Arabinfurosidase (α-L-Af), 4β-Galactosidase (β-Gal), Cellulase (Cx), and β-Glucosidase (β-Glu)

The activities of PG, PME, α-L-Af, β-gal, Cx, and β-Glu in the winter jujubes were determined by an ELISA kit (Shanghai Jianglai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China), and each treatment group was measured three times in parallel. The results were expressed as average values, and the unit was IU·L−1.

2.10. Statistical Analysis of the Results

The resulting data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). Statistical mapping and data analysis were performed using Origin2022 (Origin Lab, Northampton, MA, USA). IBM SPSS Statistics (version 22.0, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the statistical analysis and Tukey was used to test the significance between the data, with a confidence level of p < 0.05.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Respiratory Intensity, Firmness, TSS Content, TA Content, VC Content, and Weight Loss of the Winter Jujubes

The effects of different intensities of CP treatment on the storage effect of the winter jujubes are shown in Figure 1. The effect on the preservation of the treatment group was better than that of the control group, indicating that CP treatment had a positive effect on the preservation of the winter jujubes. In the CP treatment group, the effect on the preservation of the 80 kV treatment group was better than that of the 40 kV treatment group.
Changes in the respiratory intensity of the winter jujubes during storage are shown in Figure 2A. The respiratory intensity of the winter jujubes in the treatment group and the control group first increased and then decreased during storage. Peak respiration occurred after 28 days. The intensity of respiration in the processing group was remarkably lower than that of the control group during storage (p < 0.05). This showed that CP treatment may inhibit the respiration of winter jujubes. The respiratory intensity was remarkably higher in the 40 kV treatment group than in the 80 kV treatment group (p < 0.05). The results showed that higher intensity (80 kV) CP treatment may be more obvious. Misra et al. [14] also found that CP treatment could reduce the respiratory intensity of strawberries. In addition, we also found that CP treatment could reduce the respiratory intensity of tomatoes [15]. As shown in Figure 2B, the firmness of the winter jujubes showed a decreasing trend during storage. The firmness of the treatment group was remarkably higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). This may be due to the lower respiratory intensity in the treatment group and the lower consumption rate of pectin and cellulose in the winter jujubes. The 40 kV treatment group’s firmness was remarkably lower than the 80 kV treatment group’s firmness during the storage period. This indicated that higher intensity (80 kV) CP treatment may delay the decrease in the firmness of winter jujubes more significantly. Zhou et al. [9] also found that CP treatment could maintain the high firmness of cantaloupes. At the same time, studies have shown that CP treatment can alleviate the decrease in strawberries’ hardness [30]. TSS and TA are important for predicting the quality of winter jujubes [31]. As shown in Figure 2C,D, during the storage period, the TSS content of the winter jujubes first decreased, increased, and then decreased while the TA content first increased, decreased, and then increased. This change may be due to the gradual decomposition of sugar into other substances due to respiration during the storage of the winter jujubes, resulting in a decrease in TSS content. Later, with the extension of the storage time, the soluble solids of the winter jujubes increased slightly due to starch decomposition and then decreased due to aging [32,33]. The increase in the TA content at the beginning and the end of storage may be due to the gradual transformation of some sugars into organic acids in the winter jujubes. However, the decrease in the TA content in the winter jujubes during the middle storage period may be caused by the large decomposition of TA induced by vigorous respiratory metabolism [34,35]. The contents of TSS and TA in the CP treatment group were remarkably higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). This means that CP treatment had a positive effect on maintaining high levels of TSS and TA in the winter jujubes. In addition, TSS and TA were more abundant in the 80 kV treatment group than in the 40 kV treatment group, which may be because 80 kV treatment inhibited respiration and maintained the low metabolic level of the winter jujubes. This is also in line with the conclusion of measuring respiratory intensity. Dong and Yang [36] found that the TSS content of blueberries treated with CP was 1.5 times that of the control treatment group. Not only that, but studies also show that CP treatment can maintain the high TA contents of kiwifruit and strawberries during storage [37,38]. Vitamin C content is essential for ensuring the nutritional properties of fruit [39]. As shown in Figure 2E, the VC content of the winter jujubes showed a decreasing trend during storage. This may be due to the gradual degradation of VC caused by respiratory metabolism and aging of the winter jujubes. The VC content in the winter jujubes in the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably higher than that in the 40 kV treatment group and control group (p < 0.05). These results indicated that CP treatment might significantly delay the degradation of VC content in winter jujubes, and the preservation effect of 80 kV CP treatment was better than 40 kV. Similar results were found in orange juice [40].
As shown in Figure 2F, the weight loss rate of the winter jujubes during storage increased with the extension of storage days. The rates of weight loss during the first 14 days did not differ remarkably between the treatment and control groups. (p < 0.05) This may be due to the low respiratory intensity and slow substance consumption of the winter jujubes during the early stage of storage. After the respiratory peak, the loss rate of the treatment group and the control group increased. This may be due to the increase in the respiratory intensity and self-aging of the winter jujubes during storage, which accelerated the consumption of TSS, TA, VC, and other substances in the winter jujubes, and eventually led to their weight loss. The loss rate of the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably lower than the 40 kV treatment group and the control group (p < 0.05). This showed that CP treatment may delay the increase in the weight loss rate of winter jujubes during storage, and 80 kV CP treatment was more effective than 40 kV CP treatment. Chen et al. [41] also pointed out that CP treatment could significantly reduce the weight loss rate of fresh-cut pears.

3.2. Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Protopectin, Soluble Pectin, and Cellulose Contents of the Winter Jujubes

During postharvest storage, protopectin in winter jujubes is converted into soluble pectin by the corresponding enzyme’s decomposition. Cellulose is also broken down into monosaccharides through respiration and enzyme action. Decreases in the pectin and cellulose contents in winter jujubes are a sign of softening [6,17]. As shown in Figure 3A,B, the protopectin in the winter jujubes showed a downward trend with prolongation of the storage time while soluble pectin showed an upward trend with prolongation of the storage time. This may be because the protopectin in the winter jujubes was gradually transformed into soluble pectin through respiratory metabolism during storage, which led to a decrease in protopectin and an increase in soluble pectin. The level of protopectin in the treatment group was remarkably higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The results showed that CP treatment may have a positive effect on delaying the degradation of protopectin. The content of protopectin in the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably higher than that in the 40 kV treatment group (p < 0.05). The soluble pectin content in the treatment group was remarkably lower than that in the control group. This may be because CP treatment delayed the degradation of protopectin, leading to lower content of soluble pectin in the treatment group. The soluble pectin content in the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably lower than that in the 40 kV treatment group. This is because 80 kV treatment can more significantly delay the degradation of protopectin into soluble pectin. Jia et al. [42] indicated that softening of jujube fruit could be delayed by delaying the degradation of protopectin. In addition, a study also found that slowing down the decomposition of original pectin in ‘Kyoho’ grape maintained its firmness and slowed down the increase in soluble pectin content [43]. A similar conclusion was found when red raspberries were treated with calcium chloride [44]. As shown in Figure 3C, the cellulose content of the winter jujubes decreased during storage. The cellulose content in the treatment group was remarkably higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). This shows that CP treatment can delay the degradation of cellulose in winter jujubes, which is also consistent with the conclusion of the hardness measurement. The cellulose content of the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably higher than that of the 40 kV treatment group. This showed that 80 kV CP treatment was better than 40 kV CP treatment in alleviating cellulose degradation in the winter jujubes during the storage period. Guo et al. [24] also found that X-ray irradiation can delay the degradation of pectin and cellulose in winter jujubes to maintain their high firmness. In addition, other studies have also found that the firmness of winter jujubes can be maintained by slowing down the degradation of pectin and cellulose in winter jujubes [6,45].

3.3. Effects of Cold Plasma Treatment on the PG, PME, α-L-Af, β-Gal, Cx, and β-Glu Activities of the Winter Jujubes

Some studies have found that the softening of winter jujubes after harvest is mainly caused by metabolic degradation of the cell wall. Pectin, which plays a role in adhesion and strength between cells, is decomposed into soluble pectin by PG, PM, α-L-Af, and β-Gal enzymes while cellulose, which plays the role of skeleton support as a primary layer, is decomposed into monosaccharides by Cx and β-Glu enzymes [46,47,48]. As shown in Figure 4A, the PG activity of the winter jujubes increased during the early stage of storage and decreased after 42 days. This indicates that the increase in PG activity during the early stage of the postharvest storage of the winter jujubes accelerated the decomposition of pectin. During the later stage of storage, the contents of reaction substrates decreased due to the large decomposition of pectin, resulting in a decrease in PG activity [49,50]. Moreover, the PG activity of the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably lower than that of the 40 kV treatment group and the control group (p < 0.05). This indicated that CP treatment may reduce PG enzyme activity, and the inhibition effect of 80 kV CP treatment was better than that of 40 kV CP treatment. Other studies have also found that CP treatment can reduce PG enzyme activity in mangos [51]. Similarly, Jia et al. [52] also indicated that the softening of winter jujubes could be delayed by reducing PG activity after UV-C irradiation. As shown in Figure 4B, the PME activity of the winter jujubes during the early stage of storage showed an upward trend and began to decrease after 42 days. It may be that PME activity increases due to the decomposition of pectin during the early stage of storage and then decreases with the decrease in pectin content [50,53]. In addition, the PME activity of the treatment group was remarkably lower than that of the control group (p < 0.05) during storage. This indicated that CP treatment could reduce the activity of PME in winter jujubes, and the activity of PME in the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably lower than that in the 40 kV treatment group (p < 0.05). This indicated that 80 kV CP treatment may inhibit PME activity. It has also been shown that CP treatment can reduce PME activity in mango and carrot juice [54,55]. The changing trend of α-L-Af activity in the winter jujubes during storage is shown in Figure 4C. The activity of α-L-Af increased at 42 days before storage and then decreased with the extension of the storage time. The activity of α-L-Af in the 80 kV treatment group was remarkably lower than that in the 40 kV treatment group and the control group (p < 0.05). These results indicated that 80 kV CP treatment may have an inhibitory effect on α-L-Af activity in winter jujubes. As shown in Figure 4D, the β-Gal activity in the winter jujubes increased during the early stage of storage and then decreased with the extension of the storage time. The activity of β-Gal in the treatment group was remarkably lower than that in the control group, especially in the 80 kV treatment group (p < 0.05) and showed that CP treatment may inhibit the activity of β-gal in winter jujubes, and the inhibition effect of 80 kV CP treatment was better than that of 40 kV CP treatment. Other studies have also found that the softening process can be slowed down by reducing the activities of β-gal and α-L-Af enzymes in fruits during storage [16,56]. It has also been suggested that a reduction in α-L-Af and β-gal activities can delay apple softening after low-temperature treatment [57,58]. As shown in Figure 4E,F, the Cx and β-Glu activities in the winter jujubes increased during the early stage of storage but began to decrease after 56 days. It is possible that the activities of Cx and β-Glu increased due to the decomposition of cellulose during the early stage of storage. Then, a large amount of cellulose was decomposed, which led to a decrease in the concentration of the reaction substrate, which weakened the activity of the enzyme accordingly [45,50,53]. The Cx and β-Glu activities in the treatment group were remarkably lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, the Cx and β-Glu activities of the 80 kV treatment group were remarkably lower than those of the 40 kV treatment group (p < 0.05). These results showed that CP treatment might inhibit the activities of Cx and β-Glu in winter jujubes during storage, and the inhibition effect of 80 kV CP treatment was more significant than that of 40 kV CP treatment. Other studies have also pointed out that reducing the activities of Cx and β-Glu enzymes in winter jujubes can slow down the decline in firmness during storage [24,25]. In addition, it was also found that the activities of Cx and β-Glu in melons decreased and softening of the melons was inhibited [59].

4. Conclusions

The results showed that CP treatment could inhibit the postharvest respiratory intensity and weight loss of winter jujubes. Compared with the control group, CP treatment maintained higher contents of TSS, TA, and VC. In addition, higher firmness was found in the CP treatment group. In addition, 80 kV CP treatment significantly inhibited the degradation of pectin and cellulose and significantly inhibited the activities of PG, PME, α-L-Af, β-gal, Cx, and β-Glu. In this study, the 80 kV treatment group was superior to the 40 kV treatment group and the control group in maintaining the postharvest storage quality of the winter jujubes. These results provide basic data for the application of CP treatment in the preservation of winter jujubes.

Author Contributions

S.J.: conceptualization, writing—original draft, and software; P.Z.: revised and adjusted the content of the paper; N.Z. and J.Y.: resources and validation; H.J. and S.Y.: investigation and data curation; C.D.: formal analysis and supervision; L.L.: supervision and writing—review; and C.C.: funding acquisition and project administration. This paper was written with full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest by all authors who all reviewed and approved the final text. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the demonstration and application of key technologies for green and accurate storage and transportation of flat jujubes (2022NC149); the key project of Tianjin Natural Science Foundation (20JCZDJC00420); the Innovation Team of the Tianjin Forestry & Pomology Research System (ITTHRS2021000); Innovative Research and Experimental Projects for Young Researchers (202009, 2021001); and the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFF0213605).

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Acknowledgments

We thank Tianfeng Agro—Ecological Park for providing test materials for this experiment and the editors and peer reviewers for their reviews and suggestions.

Conflicts of Interest

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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Figure 1. Effects of different CP treatment intensities on the storage effect of the winter jujubes.
Figure 1. Effects of different CP treatment intensities on the storage effect of the winter jujubes.
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Figure 2. Effects of different CP intensities on the respiratory intensity, firmness, TSS content, TA content, vitamin C content, and weight loss rate of winter jujubes: (A) respiratory intensity, (B) hardness, (C) TSS content, (D) TA content, (E) vitamin C content, and (F) weight loss rate. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
Figure 2. Effects of different CP intensities on the respiratory intensity, firmness, TSS content, TA content, vitamin C content, and weight loss rate of winter jujubes: (A) respiratory intensity, (B) hardness, (C) TSS content, (D) TA content, (E) vitamin C content, and (F) weight loss rate. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
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Figure 3. Effects of different CP intensities on the protopectin, soluble pectin, and cellulose contents of winter jujubes: (A) protopectin content, (B) soluble pectin content, and (C) cellulose content. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
Figure 3. Effects of different CP intensities on the protopectin, soluble pectin, and cellulose contents of winter jujubes: (A) protopectin content, (B) soluble pectin content, and (C) cellulose content. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
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Figure 4. Effects of different CP intensities on the PG, PME, α-L-Af, β-Gal, Cx, and β-Glu activities of winter jujubes: (A) PG activity, (B) PME activity, (C) α-L-Af activity, (D) β-Gal activity, (E) Cx activity, and (F) β-Glu activity. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
Figure 4. Effects of different CP intensities on the PG, PME, α-L-Af, β-Gal, Cx, and β-Glu activities of winter jujubes: (A) PG activity, (B) PME activity, (C) α-L-Af activity, (D) β-Gal activity, (E) Cx activity, and (F) β-Glu activity. Different letters (a–c) in the figure indicate statistically significant differences between different CP treatment intensities at the same time (p < 0.05).
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MDPI and ACS Style

Jia, S.; Zhang, N.; Dong, C.; Zheng, P.; Ji, H.; Yu, J.; Yan, S.; Chen, C.; Liang, L. Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Softening of Winter Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao). Horticulturae 2023, 9, 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090986

AMA Style

Jia S, Zhang N, Dong C, Zheng P, Ji H, Yu J, Yan S, Chen C, Liang L. Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Softening of Winter Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao). Horticulturae. 2023; 9(9):986. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090986

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jia, Sitong, Na Zhang, Chenghu Dong, Pufan Zheng, Haipeng Ji, Jinze Yu, Shijie Yan, Cunkun Chen, and Liya Liang. 2023. "Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Softening of Winter Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao)" Horticulturae 9, no. 9: 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090986

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