Methyl jasmonate improves quality of stored zucchini squash

Freshly harvested zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L., cv. Elite) were pressure infiltrated (82. 7kPa for 3 min) with an aqueous suspension solution of 0.1 mM methyl jasmonate, while control fruit were similarly infiltrated with distilled water. All fruit were then stored at a chilling temperature of 5C. Chilling injury symptoms developed in the control fruit after 4 days of storage. However, the onset of chilling injury was significantly delayed by methyl jasmonate treatment. The methyl jasmonate treatment not only retarded the development of chilling symptoms in zucchini squash,,but also maintained higher levels of carbohydrates and organic acids during storage compared with the controls. Fructose and glucose were major carbohydrates, and malic acid was the predominant organic acid in zucchini squash. Methyl jasmonate reduced the losses of these sugars and organic acids, and thus helped maintain better internal quality of zucchini squash during cold storage.