Accepted Manuscript

The effects of postharvest application of lecithin to improve storage potential

and quality of fresh goji (Lycium barbarum L.) berries

Mushtaque Ahmed Jatoi, Slaven Juri, Rajko Vidrih, Marko Vincekovi, Marko
Vukovi, Tomislav Jemri

PII: S0308-8146(17)30415-6
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.03.039
Reference: FOCH 20743

To appear in: Food Chemistry

Received Date: 27 December 2016

Revised Date: 7 March 2017
Accepted Date: 8 March 2017

Please cite this article as: Jatoi, M.A., Juri, S., Vidrih, R., Vincekovi, M., Vukovi, M., Jemri, T., The effects of
postharvest application of lecithin to improve storage potential and quality of fresh goji (Lycium barbarum L.)
berries, Food Chemistry (2017), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.03.039

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1 Running title: Improving storage potential of goji berries using lecithin

3 Title: The effects of postharvest application of lecithin to improve storage potential and quality

4 of fresh goji (Lycium barbarum L.) berries

6 Authors

7 Mushtaque Ahmed Jatoia, b*, Slaven Juric, Rajko Vidrihd, Marko Vincekovic, Marko Vukovia,

8 Tomislav Jemria

a
10 Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
b
11 Date Palm Research Institute, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur 66020, Sindh, Pakistan
c
12 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
d
13 Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana,

14 Ljubljana, Slovenia

15 *Corresponding author email: mushtaqjatoi@gmail.com, +385955091760

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

1
24 Abstract

25

26 To enhance storage life and post-storage quality of fresh goji berries, three treatments with

27 lecithin (1, 5, 10 gL-1) and two storage times (8, 16 days) were evaluated. The significant effects

28 on the physiological and biochemical parameters were varied. 1 gL-1 lecithin showed its main

29 effects after 8 days of storage by reduction in total weight loss and decay, SSC/TA ratio (also at

30 16 days), and chlorophyll content and with highest scores of sensory attributes (also at 16 days).

31 5 g.L-1 lecithin showed its main effects after 16 days of storage: highest SSC, highest TA (also at

32 8 days), highest TPC, only significant reduction in DPPH antioxidant activity, and highest total

33 flavonoid content. 10 g.L-1 lecithin showed its main effects after 8 days of storage with highest

34 SSC, chlorophyll content, total flavonoid, DPPH, and ABTS antioxidant activity (also at 16

35 days), but with least scores of sensory attributes.

36

37 Keywords: Fruit quality, goji berries, lecithin, polyphenols, postharvest decay

2
38 Chemical compounds studied in this article

39 Lecithin from soybean (PubChem CID: 57369748)

40

41 Abbreviations

42 a*, CIE red (+)/ green () color attribute; b*, CIE yellow (+)/ blue () color attribute; C*,

43 chroma; CE, catechin equivalent; CIE, Commission Internationale de lEclairage; Fw, fresh

44 weight; H*, Hue angle; L*, CIE lightness coordinate; Lec, lecithin; TE, Trolox equivalent; QE,

45 quercetin equivalent

3
46 1. Introduction

47

48 Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) berries have been recognized recently as the latest super food or

49 super fruit. They are also sometimes referred as the berry of youth, due to a Chinese myth

50 that they improve the longevity of life (Yao et al., 2011). The goji plant is a deciduous shrub that

51 belongs to the family Solanaceae. It is hardy to all extremes of climate (-15C to +40C), it can

52 grow to 2.5 m to 3.5 m in height, and it is mainly cultivated in China. However, more recently,

53 cultivation of goji berries was introduced into European agro-climatic conditions, due to its

54 medicinal and health importance (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011). Goji berries are prolate

55 spheroid in shape, and about 1-2 cm in length, with a bright orange-red color (Zhu, 1998).

56 Several biologically important polysaccharides, carotenoids, and phenolics have been identified

57 in goji berries, which can have high impact on human health. Therefore, several reports available

58 that have focused on the biochemical, allergic, antioxidant, and medicinal properties of goji

59 berries (Wang, Chang, Inbaraj, & Chen, 2010; Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011; de larramendi et

60 al., 2012).

61

62 The handling and storage conditions are the prime factors in the development of a successful

63 postharvest protocol for any horticultural crop especially berry crops. The perishable nature and

64 the physiological changes are the most common reasons for postharvest decay in berries. The

65 most common method to limit postharvest decay and fungal infections during storage is the

66 application of certain chemicals. However, these treatments can leave deposits on the fruit as

67 potentially hazardous chemical residues. Hence, there is an urgent need to find novel alternative

68 approaches to reduce decay problem as well as to main fruit quality during storage. Several

4
69 postharvest technologies have been reported in this regard so far, like controlled atmosphere

70 storage, ethylene inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene, and hot water dips (Lurie, 1998).

71

72 The application of the lecithin has also been tested for improving storage potential and different

73 postharvest issues of many fruit crops (Supplementary Table S1). Lecithin is a mixture of oleic,

74 stearic, and palmitic acid esters with glycerophosphoric acid and choline, and it is a common

75 constituent of plant and animal tissues. The major source of lecithin is soy beans, followed by

76 eggs, milk and sunflower seeds. Lecithin is commonly used as an emulsifying and surfactant

77 agent, and also as an additive in food and in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. From a

78 postharvest point of view, lecithin has been identified as a phytoprotective compound that can

79 delay or prevent the formation of stains or microlesions on fruit and vegetables (Sardo, 2004). As

80 defined in the guidelines of European Community Regulation no. 1272/2008, lecithin is

81 recognized as a non-hazardous compound, and does not have any specific limitations on its use

82 in food. To date, lecithin has been applied to a number of fruit crops for different purposes, such

83 as to improve storability and shelf life of pomegranates (DAquino et al., 2012), cranberries

84 (zgen, Farag, Ozgen, & Palta, 2005), bananas (Ahmed & Palta, 2016), strawberries (Misran,

85 2013) mangosteen (de Castro, Anjos, Rezende, Benato, & Valentini, 2012) and melon fruit

86 (Hong, 2012) . In addition, lecithin decreases postharvest storage disorders (Sharples, Reid, &

87 Turner, 1979) bitter pit problems (Reid & Padfield, 1975) of apples, internal breakdown of

88 Granny Smith apples (Watkins, Harman, & Hopkirk, 1988). However, following our thorough

89 literature searches, and to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated

90 lecithin as a postharvest treatment for improved storage life of goji berries.

91

5
92 Goji berries are usually available as dried fruit or as juice. The fresh fruit is only available in the

93 areas where it is cultivated, due to its highly perishable nature that limits its marketing and

94 availability as the fresh fruit. Surprisingly, there is a lack of published data in the scientific

95 literature about the postharvest behavior of goji fruit. Some information is available on various

96 online websites in terms of cultivation and storage methods of goji berries, and the marketing of

97 their products for their medicinal value, although this information comes without any appropriate

98 scientific support or published data. The lack of this important information was the main limiting

99 factor here, and the inspiration for testing lecithin as a postharvest treatment to improve the

100 storage potential of goji berries, which might help in the development of its market potential as a

101 fresh fruit.

102

103 2. Materials and methods

104

105 This study was carried out in 2015-2016 at the Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture,

106 University of Zagreb, Croatia. Analytical grade chemicals were used for the experimental

107 procedures. Commercial grade lecithin, as Lecithin of Soya GPR RECTAPUR was purchased in

108 a powder form from VWR Chemicals (Belgium).

109

110 2.1. Fruit source, treatments, and storage conditions

111 The goji fruit samples (cv. Ningxia No. 1) were obtained from one of the commercial orchards

112 (OPG Goji Bobice Company) located near Zagreb, Croatia (454251N 160431E). Fruit that

113 were uniform in size (diameter, 1-2 cm) and color (bright red) were selected, and treated with

114 three different concentrations of lecithin (1, 5, and 10 gL-1) for 2 min, in a glass jar. Two liters

6
115 of each solution was prepared for dipping of the fruit samples, which were then left on tissue

116 paper for a while, to drain off. The fruit were then weighed and placed in plastic boxes (length,

117 142 mm; width, 94 mm; height, 35 mm) with a perforated lid, which were specifically used for

118 the berry fruit and were purchased from a local Croatian company (Nibon Pak d.o.o). Then, the

119 plastic boxes were labeled and kept under a normal atmosphere at 0C, with 90% relative

120 humidity. The control box contained fruit without the lecithin treatment, and was kept in a cold

121 storage chamber.

122

123 The measurements of the CIE color variables and weight loss percentages were taken at 2-day

124 intervals, up to 16 days. While the rest of the parameters examined were measured after 8 days

125 and 16 days of storage.

126

127 2.2. Measurements and chemical analysis

128

129 2.2.1. CIE color variables

130 The fruit color variables were measured according to the CIE Lab system, using a colorimeter

131 (ColorTec PCM; ColorTec Associates Inc., USA).

132

133 2.2.2. Fruit weight loss and decay weight

134 The fruit weight loss (%) was determined according to Equation (1):

135


136 
(%) = 100 (1),


137

7
138 where A is the initial weight at the start of the storage, and B is the weight on the inspection date,

139 or the final weight.

140

141 The fruit decay weight (%) was determined according to Equation (2):

142


143  (%) =  100 (2),

144

145 where A is the weight of the rotten fruit on the inspection date, and B is the initial weight at the

146 beginning of the storage period.

147

148 2.2.3. Solid soluble content, titratable acidity and their ratio

149 The solid soluble content (SSC) of goji fruit was determined using a digital hand refractometer

150 (PAL-1; Atago, Tokyo, Japan) and expressed in terms of Brix. The titratable acidity (TA) was

151 obtained by titrating 2 mL goji fruit juice with 0.1 N NaOH using a digital burette and expressed

152 as percentage (%) malic acid. The sugar-acid ratio was calculated by dividing the SCC by the

153 TA, and is expressed as the SSC/TA ratio.

154

155 2.2.4. Preparation of goji berry extracts

156 The extracts of goji berries were prepared using the modified conventional extraction method of

157 Komes et al. (2016). The fresh goji berry fruit were squashed with a mortar and pestle until a

158 homogenized fraction was obtained. Then 5 g homogenized fraction was weighed out and poured

159 into 50 mL hot (80 C) distilled water. Decoctions of the goji berry fruit were then immediately

160 prepared by constant stirring at 80C for 15 min. After extraction, the extracts were sieved

8
161 through a tea strainer, cooled, and centrifuged at 1800 rpm for 5 min. All of the resulting

162 supernatants were removed and filtered using Whatman No. 4 filter paper, and diluted to 50 mL

163 with distilled water. The extractions were carried out repeatedly (3 times). The concentration of

164 the extracts obtained was thus equivalent to 100 gL-1 fruit weight, which was used further for

165 the phytochemical analysis.

166

167 2.2.5. Determination of total polyphenolic content

168 The modified Folin Ciocalteu's method of Singleton, Orthofer, & Lamuela-Ravents (1998) was

169 used for determination of total polyphenolic content (TPC). A mixture of 0.1 mL goji extracted

170 juice with 7.9 mL distilled water and 0.5 mL Folin Ciocalteu's reagent (diluted with distilled

171 water in 1:2 ratio) and 1.5 mL 20% sodium carbonate was vortexed and left for 2 h to complete

172 the reaction. The optical absorbance was measured at 765 nm (Ough & Amerine, 1988), and the

173 data are expressed as gallic acid equivalents mg GAE100 g-1 of fresh fruit weight (Fw).

174

175 2.2.6. Radical scavenging assays

176 The antioxidant potential of the goji fruit were determined as the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

177 (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) antioxidant

178 activities, according to the procedures of Brand-Williams, Cuvelier, & Berset (1995) and Re et

179 al. (1999), respectively. The data obtained are expressed as mol Trolox equivalents (mol

180 TE100 g-1 Fw).

181

182 2.2.7. -Carotene determination

9
183 The -carotene levels were measured according to the procedure reported by Barros, Cruz,

184 Baptista, Estevinho, & Ferreira (2008). Here, 10 mL acetone-hexane (4:6; v/v) mixture was

185 added to the methanolic extract (100 mg fresh goji fruit), vortexed for 1 min, and filtered through

186 Whatman No. 4 filter paper. The final volume was set to 10 mL. The optical absorbance was

187 measured at 453 nm, 505 nm, and 663 nm. The data are expressed as g-carotene g-1 Fw (gg-
1
188 Fw. Equation (3) was used for the calculation of the -carotene levels:

189

190  
 ( 100 !" ) = 0.216 &''( 0.304 &+,+ + 0.452 &/+( (3).

191

192 2.2.8. Total chlorophyll determination

193 The total chlorophyll was determined by extracting ~0.1 g goji berry pure with 25 mL 80%

194 (v/v) acetone, with 2 min vortexing and filtration using Whatman No. 4 filter paper. The volume

195 was set to 25 mL by addition of 80% acetone. The optical absorbance was measured at 663 nm

196 for chlorophyll a and at 645 nm for chlorophyll b, and the total chlorophyll content was

197 calculated, according to Equations (4), (5), (6), and (7), as reported by Huang, Sheng, Yang, &

198 Hu (2007):

199

200 0

1  = 12.7 &''( 2.995 &'/+ (4);

201

202 0

1 4 = 22.95 &'/+ 4.67 &''( ; (5);

203

204 5
 

1 ( " ) = 0

1  + 0

1 4 (6);

205

10
 6789: ;<7=7><?:: (@A BCD )E+ @B
206 5
 

1 ( " ) = (7).
F9@>:G HGIA<8",,,

207

208 2.2.9. Total flavonoids determination

209 The total flavonoids were determined as reported by Lin and Tang (2007). The samples were

210 centrifuged at 1800 rpm for 5 min. The supernatant (250 L) of the goji berry fruit extract was

211 mixed with 750 L 96% ethanol, 50 L aluminum chloride hexahydrate, 50 L 1 M potassium

212 acetate, and 1.4 mL deionized water. The mixture was left for 40 min at room temperature to

213 complete the reaction. The optical absorbance was measured at 415 nm against the blank

214 (deionized water). Quercetin was selected as the standard. A five-point standard calibration curve

215 was plotted for 0.3 mg to 14.7 mg quercetin100 mL-1 (R2= 0.9924). The data are expressed as

216 mg quercetin equivalents (QE100 g-1 Fw).

217

218 2.2.10. Sensory analysis

219 The sensory evaluation was performed as per reported by Miller et al. (2005) comprised of taste

220 (firmness, texture, juiciness, sugar/ acid ratio, aroma, taste fullness, general impression) and the

221 external properties (shape, size, color). The evaluations were based on scores from 1-5 on a

222 hedonic scale that defined the scores of excellent (5), very good to excellent (4.5), very good (4),

223 good to very good (3.5), good (3), average (2.5), acceptable (2), unsatisfied to acceptable (1.5)

224 and unsatisfied (1). The goji fruit samples were distributed to five trained panel members who

225 were experienced in the pomological sciences of sensory evaluation.

226

227 2.2.11. Statistical analysis

11
228 A completely randomized factorial design was used, with three replicates for all of the

229 parameters, except for the color variables (10 replicates) and the sensory analysis (5 replicates).

230 The treatments (lecithin concentrations) and storage times were considered as factors, and two-

231 way ANOVA using a generalized linear model and LSD tests at the P 0.05 level were

232 performed using the SAS software, version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). The data is

233 reported as meansstandard deviation. Multivariate analysis (principal component analysis;

234 PCA) was performed using the XLSTAT statistical software. PCA is based on the correlation

235 matrix among the values of the studied parameters, and it indicates the contribution of each

236 variable, independent of the range of its obtained values. Bartlett's tests of sphericity and the

237 Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy were used prior to the PCA analysis.

238

239 3. Results and discussion

240

241 3.1. Total weight loss, total decay weight, solid soluble content, and titratable acidity

242 The storage time was shown to be a determining factor, and was highly significant in terms of

243 total weight loss, total decay, SSC, TA, and SSC/TA. The lecithin concentration was a

244 significant factor for SSC, TA, and SSC/TA, but not for total weight loss and total decay. The

245 interaction of storage time lecithin concentration was only significant for SSC (Table 1).

246

247 After 8 days of storage, there was significantly reduced total weight loss for 1 gL-1 (3.42%) and

248 5 gL-1 (3.30%) lecithin compared to the control (4.00%), although there were no significant

249 differences between them. However, after 16 days of storage, there were no longer any

250 significant differences for total weight loss seen in all treatments (Table 1).

12
251

252 Surprisingly, after 8 days of storage, there were significant reductions for 1 gL-1 (4.34%), 5 gL-
1
253 (5.55%), and 10 gL-1 (6.38%) lecithin compared to the highest decay of the control (8.08%),

254 although there was no significant difference between the 5 gL-1 and 10 gL-1 lecithin treatments.

255 With the extended storage time of 16 days, none of the lecithin treatments showed significant

256 reductions in the total decay compared to the control (15.65%). However, 1 gL-1 lecithin again

257 showed lowest reduction but nonsignificant (14.71%) compared to the other treatments.

258

259 Ahmed & Palta (2016) reported that 1 g L-1 and 2 gL-1 lecithin showed some undesirable water-

260 soaked marks on banana peel tissue that then turned brown, while 0.5 gL-1 lecithin showed no

261 such marks. Similarly, Schirra et al. (2009) and DAquino et al. (2012) reported that lecithin was

262 not effective in terms of decay control in Coscia pear and pomegranate, respectively. The

263 present study does not support these findings, as in this case for the goji fruit the lecithin helped

264 to reduce fungal decay over the shorter storage period. The differences can be justified here with

265 the argument that there were differences in the types of fruit crop and the lecithin treatments

266 used, as well as the storage conditions applied.

267

268 After 8 days and 16 days of storage, the lecithin treatments had mixed significance for the goji

269 fruit in terms of the biochemical traits, as compared to control samples. After 8 days of storage,

270 the highest SSC was obtained for 10 gL-1 lecithin (18.57 Brix), followed by 5 gL-1 lecithin

271 (16.97 Brix), and then the control (16.43 Brix), while 1 gL-1 lecithin appeared to be low (13.5

272 Brix). After 8 days of storage, these treatments were significantly different, although there was

273 little variation seen after 16 days of storage. Here, the only significance compared to the control

13
274 (18.90 Brix) was seen for 5 gL-1 lecithin, which showed the highest SSC (19.20 Brix). While

275 no significant effect was seen for 10 gL-1 lecithin (18.90 Brix), 1 gL-1 lecithin again showed

276 significantly lower SSC (17.57 Brix).

277

278 After 8 days of storage, the highest significantly different TA were seen for the fruit treated with

279 5 gL-1 (1.08%) and 10 gL-1 (1.01%) lecithin compared to the control samples (0.92%), with no

280 significant difference seen for 1 gL-1 lecithin (1.00%). After 16 days of storage, TA increased

281 slightly from 8 days of storage. Again, the fruit treated with 5 g L-1 lecithin (1.39%) showed the

282 highest significantly different TA, with significance also seen for 1 gL-1 lecithin (1.36%)

283 compared to the control samples (1.12%). Although these two lecithin treatments were not

284 significantly difference here. Thus, overall, the lowest TA recorded were for the control samples

285 after both 8 days and 16 days of storage.

286

287 After 8 days of storage, the highest SSC/TA ratio were recorded for the control (17.94) and the

288 fruit treated with 10 gL-1 lecithin (18.36), which were not significantly different. Here

289 significant reductions were seen for both 1 gL-1 (13.54) and 5 gL-1 (15.75) lecithin. After 16

290 days of storage, the highest SSC/TA ratios were again recorded for the control samples (16.96)

291 and for 10 gL-1 lecithin (15.57), with no significant difference between them. Again, as for 8

292 days of storage, here significant reductions were seen for both 1 gL-1 (12.87) and 5 gL-1 (13.86)

293 lecithin.

294

295 In previous studies, however, Ban et al. (2015) reported decreased total soluble content from

296 21.68% (initial) to 17.32% (after storage) in both their control samples of Chinese wolfberry

14
297 fruit, stored at 2C. According to an earlier study by Robbins, Sjulin, & Patterson (1989) on red

298 raspberry fruit stored at 0C, loss of water was most probably the reason for their increased SSC

299 and decreased TA.

300

301 3.2. CIE color variables

302 The storage time factor was shown to be an influential factor and highly significant in terms of

303 all color variables. The concentration factor was significantly different in terms of L*, a*, b*,

304 and H*, but not for C*. However, the interaction between storage time and concentration showed

305 a highly significant level for only a*, with low significance also seen for L*, C*, and H*, and no

306 significance for b* (Table 2).

307

308 After the fruits have been dipped into these lecithin solutions, they appeared to be brighter red in

309 color in comparison to control samples (Fig. 1). Indeed, the commercial value of any berry fruit

310 is directly related to the color appearance, as brighter and well colored berry fruits are usually

311 preferred by both consumers and fruit processors (zgen et al., 2005). Previously, pre-harvest

312 spraying with ethephon (Ethrel), the insecticide Malathion, and the herbicide Dichlobenil were

313 extensively used to also improve fruit color. However, at present these treatments have been

314 defined as unsafe due to the hazardous effects that they can have on human health, and also due

315 to some environmental concerns. In contrast, this use of soy lecithin in the present study is safe

316 for human health and for the environment, and thus these treatments can be successfully adopted

317 to improve the color of any berry fruit, including goji berries. Also, zgen, Farag, Ozgen, &

318 Palta (2005) tested the lecithin-derived natural lipid lysophosphatidylethanolamine on

319 cranberries, and they reported that this is effective for color enhancement of the treated fruit.

15
320

321 3.3. Total polyphenolic content

322 The conventional extraction method with hot water at 80C was used for the goji berry extracts,

323 with continuous stirring for 15 min. This method is based on some similar extractions applied to

324 different plant substrates (Katsube et al., 2009; Komes et al., 2016). These indicated how the

325 polyphenolic compounds can be stable up to 80C, and at what temperature their degradation

326 occurs. For TPC, the storage time was a significant influential factor, while the concentration

327 factor did not quite reach significance. However, the interaction between storage time and

328 concentration again showed significance (Table 3).

329

330 Considering these TPC data after 8 days of storage, the highest TPC was seen for the control

331 sample (225.48 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw), which was not significantly affected by any of the lecithin

332 treatments. Then after 16 days of storage, the goji berries treated with 5 gL-1 lecithin showed the

333 highest TPC (249.19 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw), which was the only significant difference from the

334 control (220.46 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw) seen here (Table 3). According to Donno, Beccaro,

335 Mellano, Cerutti, & Bounous (2015), TPC in extracts of goji berries ranged from 255.87 mg

336 GAE100 g-1 Fw to 281.91 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw. These slightly higher values of TPC in their

337 study when compared with the present study can be explained by the different methods of

338 extraction. This previous study used an acidified methanol solution for the extraction, whereas

339 here we used hot distilled water.

340

341 These data for TPC in Table 3 indicate that the lecithin treatments of the goji berries can provide

342 some protection for the polyphenols, after the longer storage period. Similarly, in a study by Ban

16
343 et al. (2015) on chitosan coating of goji berries, they succeeded in maintaining higher levels of

344 polyphenolics in comparison to the control samples at their low temperature over 28 days. In

345 another study, Donno et al. (2016) reported differences in TPC of fresh goji berries from the

346 Boves (199.465 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw) and the Bagnasco (240.268 mg GAE100 g-1 Fw) regions

347 in northern Italy, with these values closely related to the present findings.

348

349 3.4. Radical scavenging assays

350 To get a better overview of the antioxidant activities of fresh goji berry extracts, and to review

351 the differences in lecithin treatments, two widely used antioxidant capacity assays (DPPH and

352 ABTS) were applied. For both assays, the storage time was a significant influential factor.

353 However, the concentration factor was significant for the ABTS antioxidant activity, this

354 significance was lost with DPPH. Conversely, the interaction between storage time and

355 concentration was significant for the DPPH antioxidant activity, but not the ABTS antioxidant

356 activity (Table 3).

357

358 After 8 days of storage, the highest DPPH antioxidant activity was obtained for the fruit treated

359 with 10 gL-1 (328.11 mol TE100 g-1 Fw) and 5 gL-1 lecithin (321.47 mol TE100 g-1 Fw)

360 that showing significance over the control (292.48 mol TE100 g-1 Fw). After 16 days of

361 storage, the highest DPPH antioxidant activity was with 1 gL-1 lecithin (345.57 mol TE100 g-1

362 Fw), although this did not reach significance compared to the control (333.20 mol TE100 g-1

363 Fw). Indeed, here the only significant difference was seen as reduced DPPH antioxidant activity

364 with 5 g L-1 lecithin (300.04 mol TE100 g-1 Fw). There were thus some statistically significant

365 differences among these lecithin treatments for both storage durations (Table 3).

17
366

367 Interestingly, after both 8 and 16 days of storage, the highest antioxidant activities determined

368 with the ABTS radical scavenging assay were in the samples treated with the highest lecithin

369 concentration, of 10 gL-1 (1058.58, 1237.73 mol TE100 g-1 Fw, respectively); these values

370 were also significantly different to the controls (942.27, 1104.94 mol TE100 g-1 Fw,

371 respectively). This might have arisen because the ABTS radical can react with both hydrophilic

372 and lipophilic antioxidants (Prior, Wu, & Schaich, 2005). Also, as goji berries are rich in

373 hydrophilic antioxidants (e.g., carotenoids) (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011), this ABTS assay

374 might be expected to show higher antioxidant activities compared to the DPPH assay. Indeed,

375 considering that the DPPH radical reacts only with lipophilic antioxidants, the difference

376 between these data for these two methods for determination of antioxidant activity becomes

377 clear. Furthermore, as the concentration of lecithin increased, so did the ABTS antioxidant

378 activity, which might be explained by interference of lecithin in this ABTS assay. This potential

379 of lecithin and ABTS interactions will need to be further investigated.

380

381 3.5. -Carotene and total chlorophyll

382 The -carotene content was statistically affected by both factors of storage time and lecithin

383 concentration, with high significance also seen for the interaction between storage time and

384 concentration. Similarly, for chlorophyll, the storage time was a highly significant influential

385 factor, and the concentration factor also remained significant, with significance reached for the

386 interaction between storage time and concentration (Table 3).

387

18
388 Although the carotenoids have been reported to be at low levels in goji berries (i.e., 0.03%-0.5%

389 of dried fruit), but giving them bright red-orange color (Peng et al., 2005). In the present study,

390 these pigments were represented by -carotene, which was determined for fresh goji berries.

391 Here, after both 8 days and 16 days, the treatment with 1 gL-1 lecithin gave the highest -

392 carotene content (228.76, 321.09 gg-1 Fw, respectively), although this only reached

393 significance over the control (191.24, 157.84 g g-1 Fw, respectively) after 16 days. These

394 results thus demonstrate significant protection of the -carotene content in these goji berries with

395 the longer-term treatment with 1 gL-1 lecithin.

396

397 After 8 days of storage, the total chlorophyll contents were significantly higher for all lecithin

398 treatments (281.62 - 351.66 gg-1 Fw) than control (240.17 gg-1 Fw). After 16 days of storage

399 there were significant decreases in chlorophyll content recorded in control (15.92 gg-1 Fw) and

400 lecithin treated (31.32 - 34.47 gg-1 Fw) fruit, but all the treated samples were significantly

401 different than control samples (Table 3). As seen in the literature, the levels of chlorophyll

402 decrease and those of carotenoids increase during ripening and storage, as has been reported for

403 acerola fruit (Lima et al., 2005), mango peel (Ajila, Jaganmohan Rao, & Prasada Rao, 2010), and

404 rose hips (Andersson, Rumpunen, Johansson, & Olsson, 2011).

405

406 3.6. Total flavonoids

407 For total flavonoid content, the storage time was a highly significant determining factor for the

408 goji berries, while the concentration factor did not quite reach significance. However, the

409 interaction between storage time and concentration was significant (Table 3).

410

19
411 After 8 days of storage, the highest total flavonoid content was observed in the samples treated

412 with 10 gL-1 lecithin (57.08 mg QE100 g-1 Fw), which was the only treatment that was

413 significantly different from the control (41.67 mg QE100 g-1 Fw). After 16 days of storage, total

414 flavonoid content was higher than after 8 days of storage, with the highest seen for 5 gL-1

415 lecithin (67.40 mg QE100 g-1) and 1 gL-1 lecithin (65.72 mg QE100 g-1), both of which were

416 significantly higher than for the control goji berries (56.37 mg QE100 g-1) (Table 3). According

417 to the findings of Wang et al. (2010), the total flavonoids in the flavonoid fraction from goji

418 berries was shown to be 11.6 mg100 g-1, as based on catechin equivalents, which was

419 substantially greater than the levels seen by HPLC analysis. The higher levels of total flavonoids

420 in the goji berries in the present study might be due to the different units of expression of these

421 data, as quercetin equivalents here, versus the catechin equivalents of Wang et al. (2010).

422

423 3.7. Sensory analysis

424 The storage time and concentration factors showed moderate and highly significant levels for all

425 sensory analysis assessments. However, in general, the interaction between storage time and

426 concentration did not reach significance for the tested sensory parameters, except for tastefulness

427 and general impression (Supplementary Table S2).

428

429 For both storage times, for the goji fruit treated with 1 gL-1 lecithin these sensory attributes were

430 significantly different and prominent to the control. However, these scores were consistently

431 reduced for the fruit after the longer storage period, as also seen for the controls and all lecithin

432 treatments (Fig. 2), although the fruit treated with 1 gL-1 lecithin remained satisfactorily for the

433 sensory attributes. The fruit treated with 5 g L-1 and 10 gL-1 lecithin showed high scores in

20
434 terms of color for both storage periods. This trend was similar to what was seen for cranberries

435 treated with lecithin-derived lysophosphatidylethanolamine, which reportedly promoted

436 accelerated color development (zgen et al., 2005).

437

438 3.8. Principal component analysis

439 Principal component analysis was used here as a statistical tool to indicate multivariate

440 dependence among the selected variables. Principal component weighting of the dataset was

441 carried out for seven of the attributes: total weight loss, total decay, TPC, DPPH activity, ABTS

442 activity, chlorophyll and flavonoid contents.

443

444 Prior to the PCA analysis, two statistical tests were applied. Bartletts sphericity test was used to

445 compare the correlation matrix with a matrix of zero correlations. The small p value defined by

446 this test indicated that it was highly unlikely that the observed correlation matrix was obtained

447 from a population with zero correlation. The risk for the rejection of the null hypothesis H0

448 while it was true was <0.01%. Also, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was

449 used prior to the PCA analysis. This Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy gave a

450 value of 0.6, which was acceptable (Kaiser, 1974) for continuation to the PCA analysis.

451

452 Higher factor loading scores mean that there is a tighter association with the same principal

453 component (Supplementary Table S3). These PCA results reveal that there were two significant

454 components that together explained 89.94% of the total variance of the investigated parameters.

455 Factor 1 (F1) described 71.03% of the total variance, and this included total weight loss, total

456 decay, TPC, ABTS activity, and chlorophyll and flavonoid contents. Factor 2 (F2) explained

21
457 18.91% of the variation in the sample set, and DPPH activity was the only parameter that was

458 highly associated with this component. Figure 3 presents the distribution of these data for F1 and

459 F2.

460

461 Correlations between the selected variables and factors are also shown in this biplot. According

462 to the biplot, total weight loss, flavonoid content, total decay and ABTS activity are directly

463 correlated, and it can be seen that there is a negative relationship between these variables and

464 chlorophyll content. Furthermore, a scatter distribution of the data can be observed in this PCA

465 biplot, where the storage time (i.e., after 8 or 16 days) clearly distinguishes the treated goji

466 berries. The left part of the biplot includes the goji berries after 8 days of storage. In contrast, the

467 right part of the biplot includes the goji berries after 16 days of storage. It is clear from these data

468 that the storage time directly affects these tested goji berry parameters. The control (Fig. 3, C/0-

469 8) and 1 gL-1 lecithin treatment (Fig. 3, L/1-8) are located in the lower-left quadrant of the

470 biplot, and these are characterized by high chlorophyll and the lowest total flavonoid content,

471 respectively. The PCA factor scores for the goji berries treated with 5 gL-1 lecithin (Fig. 3, L/5-

472 16) are in the lower-right quadrant of the biplot, which is characterized by the highest TPC and

473 high ABTS antioxidant activity, as well as the highest total flavonoid content. Also, on the given

474 biplot, left central part indicate lower weight loss, decay and total flavonoids where control, 1

475 and 5 gL-1 lecithin treatments after 8 days of storage are more favorable than the 10 gL-1 after 8

476 days as well as all of the investigated concentrations after 16 days of storage. This distribution of

477 the goji berries after 8 days and 16 days of storage is clear. The emphasis of L/5-16, C/0-8, and

478 L/1-8 in Figure 3 demonstrates that the selected variables affect the outcome and are directly

22
479 related to the physical structure and chemical composition, as well as to the antioxidant activity,

480 of these treated goji fruit.

481

482 4. Conclusions

483

484 The present study is an investigation into the possible prolongation of the storage life of goji

485 berries through postharvest application of lecithin, which is commonly used as an emulsifying

486 food agent. The low dose of lecithin at 1 gL-1 significantly reduced the postharvest decay ratio

487 and showed significant improvements for majority of the physiological, biochemical, and

488 sensory attributes for the 8 days of storage. However, the weight loss and decay ratio increased

489 and the sensory attributes decreased substantially after 16 days of storage for all the treatments.

490 The ABTS antioxidant potential tended to increase after 16 days of storage, as did the TPC and

491 total flavonoid content. Higher doses of lecithin than this 1 g L-1 were not beneficial for fruit

492 quality and the sensory attributes. Hence, further increases in the lecithin dose in these treatments

493 is not recommended. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate some beneficial aspects toward

494 improved marketing potential of fresh goji fruit, rather than its usual form of marketing and

495 consumption as dried fruit and juice.

496

497

498 Acknowledgments

499 The first author is grateful to the Erasmus Mundus Experts4Asia scholarship program for

500 sponsoring his PhD studies at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The authors also thank Davor

23
501 Hasi, of the OPG Goji Bobice Company, for providing the fresh fruit for this study. This study

502 did not receive any specific grants from any funding agencies.

503

504

505 Conflict of interests

506 The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

507

24
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614

29
615 Figure captions

616

617 Fig. 1. Goji fruit treated with lecithin have a shiny and healthy appearance after both 8 days and

618 16 days of storage, in comparison with control samples.

619

620 Fig. 2. Effects of lecithin treatments on sensory analysis of the goji fruit after 8 and 16 days of

621 storage.

622

623 Fig. 3. Principal component analysis factor scores biplot for observations and correlations

624 between the variables and factors.

625

626

627

30
628

629

630

631 Fig. 1

632

633

31
634

635

636

637 Fig. 2

638

639

32
Figure (3)
640 Table 1. Effects of the different lecithin treatments on the physiological and biochemical

641 characteristics of the goji berry fruit after 8 days and 16 days of storage.

Storage Treatment Total weight Total decay SSC TA SSC/TA

(days) loss (%) (%) (Brix) (%)
8 Control 4.00.11 a 8.081.86 a 16.430.40 b 0.920.04 b 17.940.82 a
-1
Lecithin 1 gL 3.420.26 b 4.340.43 b 13.501.31 c 1.000.02 ab 13.541.37 c
Lecithin 5 gL-1 3.300.21 b 5.550.43 ab 16.970.25 b 1.080.03 a 15.750.35 b
-1
Lecithin 10 gL 3.950.25 ab 6.381.36 ab 18.570.21 a 1.010.06 a 18.361.29 a
16 Control 8.910.51 a 15.651.41 a 18.900.26 a 1.120.07 c 16.960.98 a
-1
Lecithin 1 gL 8.550.37 a 14.714.93 a 17.570.91 b 1.360.07 ab 12.870.43 b
Lecithin 5 gL-1 8.230.64 a 15.821.86 a 19.200.35 a 1.390.10 a 13.860.73 b
Lecithin 10 gL-1 9.010.84 a 15.934.00 a 18.900.17 a 1.210.06 bc 15.570.67 a
Storage time <0.0001*** <0.0001*** <0.0001*** <0.0001*** 0.001**
Concentration 0.12 n.s. 0.42 n.s. <0.0001*** 0.0002*** <0.0001***
Storage time 0.98 n.s. 0.73 n.s. 0.0019** 0.09 n.s. 0.25 n.s.
Concentration
642 Means followed by different letters within columns and storage times are significantly different

643 (LSD tests; P 0.05)

644 n.s., *, ***, nonsignificant, or significant at P 0.05, or 0.001, respectively

645

646

647

33
648 Table 2. Effects of the different lecithin concentrations on the CIE color variables of the goji

649 berry fruit after 8 days and 16 days of storage.

Storage Treatment CIE color variable

(days) L* a* b* C* H*
8 Control 28.762.02 a 20.441.48 b 28.814.48 a 35.443.56 ab 54.265.23 a
-1
Lecithin 1 gL 26.722.08 ab 23.021.17 b 25.223.16 ab 34.232.29 b 47.424.18 b
Lecithin 5 gL-1 25.613.96 b 27.207.62 a 27.595.15 ab 38.958.19 a 45.856.41 b
Lecithin 10 gL-1 24.972.09 b 30.652.75 a 23.814.63 b 39.062.82 a 37.656.71 c
16 Control 29.451.15 ab 18.421.51 a 25.883.18 a 31.842.77 a 54.383.98 a
-1
Lecithin 1 gL 29.091.82 ab 19.481.22 a 23.012.96 ab 30.192.68 ab 49.563.31 b
-1
Lecithin 5 gL 28.341.51 b 18.971.06 a 21.982.40 b 29.081.89 b 49.043.68 b
Lecithin 10 gL-1 29.660.99 a 19.101.84 a 21.184.19 b 28.633.75 b 47.575.13 b
Concentration 0.01* <0.0001*** 0.0021** 0.46 n.s <0.0001***
Storage time <0.0001*** <0.0001*** 0.0002*** <0.0001*** 0.0009***
Concentration 0.03* <0.0001*** 0.50 n.s 0.0078** 0.016*
Storage time
650 Means followed by different letters within columns and storage times are significantly different

651 (LSD tests; P 0.05)

652 n.s., *, ***, nonsignificant, or significant at P 0.05, or 0.001, respectively

653
654

655

34
656 Table 3. Effects of the different lecithin concentrations on the phytochemical contents of the goji berry fruit after 8 days and 16 days

657 of storage.

Storage Treatment TPC DPPH ABTS -Carotene Chlorophyll TFC

-1 -1
(days) (mg GAE (mol TE (mol TE (gg Fw) (gg Fw) (mg QE
-1 -1 -1
100 g Fw) 100 g Fw) 100 g Fw) 100 g-1 Fw)
8 Control 225.483.34 a 292.483.08 b 942.2733.04 c 191.2427.90 ab 240.176.96 b 41.675.07 b
Lecithin 1 gL-1 224.612.57 a 295.4416.78 b 1027.6727.06 ab 228.7625.10 a 281.629.98 a 44.881.93 b
-1
Lecithin 5 gL 220.684.10 a 321.4717.00 a 972.9151.94 bc 139.3710.71 b 347.2619.36 a 48.902.18 ab
-1
Lecithin 10 gL 223.226.79 a 328.113.79 a 1058.5823.28 a 201.9819.41 a 351.6666.15 a 57.085.45 a
16 Control 220.463.78 b 333.208.31 a 1104.9468.55 b 157.8413.30 c 15.923.65 b 56.373.19 b
Lecithin 1 gL-1 229.126.09 b 345.5711.63 a 1165.724.22 ab 321.096.35 a 34.472.03 a 65.721.72 a
Lecithin 5 gL-1 249.199.73 a 300.0425.18 b 1206.3327.23 a 205.7017.62 b 31.323.95 a 67.401.92 a
-1
Lecithin 10 gL 234.077.75 ab 323.984.22 ab 1237.7310.26 a 174.468.13 c 33.837.34 a 58.991.78 b
Storage time 0.0046** 0.0079** <0.0001*** 0.0036** <0.0001*** <0.0001***
Concentration 0.06 n.s 0.195 n.s 0.0007*** <0.0001*** 0.021* 0.069 n.s
Storage time 0.0076** 0.0006*** 0.22 n.s <0.0001*** 0.015* 0.046*
Concentration
658 TPC, total polyphenolic content; DPPH/ ABTS, antioxidant activity assays; TFC, total flavonoid content

659 Means followed by different letters within columns and storage times are significantly different (LSD tests; P 0.05)

660 n.s., *, ***, nonsignificant, or significant at P 0.05, or 0.001, respectively

661

35
662

663 Research Highlights

664 lecithin improved storage life and maintained quality of goji berries
665 postharvest decay and weight loss greatly reduced in lecithin treated fruits
666 Lecithin enhanced the antioxidative potential of goji berries during storage
667 All bioactive compounds positively effected in lecithin treated fruits

668

36