Hydrogen sulfide treatment increases the antioxidant capacity of fresh Lingwu Long Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba cv. Mill) fruit during storage

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) has been identified as an important gaseous signal molecule in plants. Here, we investigated the effects of H(2)S on postharvest senescence and antioxidant metabolism of Lingwu Long Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba cv. Mill) fruits (LLJF). Fumigation of Jujube fruits with H(2)S released from 0.4 mm NaHS could significantly prolong the postharvest shelf life of jujube fruits, reduce the decay rate of fruit, the weight loss of fruit, and inhibit the fruit loss, hardness, color, soluble solids, and titratable acidity. Compared with the control group, exogenous H(2)S fumigation significantly decreased the loss of chlorophyll, carotenoids, soluble protein, ascorbic acid, phenols, and flavonoids in jujube fruits during post-harvest storage. At the same time, H(2)S could significantly delay the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and superoxide anion (O(2)(∙−)) and promote catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD) activity, and inhibit polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. To summarize, H(2)S can effectively alleviate postharvest senescence and decay of jujube fruits by regulating the ROS accumulation and antioxidant enzymes, and prolong the storage period of postharvest.