Chlorine dioxide affects metabolism of harvested sweet corn

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is commonly used to reduce microbial contamination of horticultural produce, but research on physiology and metabolism of treated products is limited. In this study, the effects of ClO2 on gene expression and metabolites of sweet corn kept at 20 celcius for 12 d after treatment have been investigated. ClO2 treatment resulted in down-regulation of PE, fl -GAL, PG and EXP associated with kernel firmness, downregulation of IN, FRK, GPI associated with sweetness, and up-regulation of L-APX, AOX, GLP, EDR4, PR -5 associated with antioxidant capacity and disease resistance. ClO2 treatment also inhibited expression of genes associated with the biosynthesis and signaling of ethylene and abscisic acid. Metabolome analysis revealed that ClO2 treatment maintained the content of flavonoids, coumarins and lignans in sweet corn. This study elucidates the physiological and molecular-level regulatory mechanism of ClO2 treatment on the postharvest quality of sweet corn.