Multi-omics profiling reveals the effects of hydrogen peroxide treatment on carbohydrate and energy metabolism in postharvest broccoli

Energy status is a vital factor in the physiology of postharvest vegetables. An integration profiling of transcriptome and metabolome was used to examine the effects of hydrogen peroxide treatment on carbohydrate and energy metabolism in broccoli at 20 celcius for 4 d. The results showed that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment maintained higher levels of ATP and energy charge during storage. The integration profiling of transcriptome and metabolome revealed that H2O2 treatment promoted the degradation of 1,3-beta-glucan to D-glucose and inhibited sucrose, D-raffinose, maltose, and cellulose degradation, thereby maintaining a long-term and stable supply of glucose for glycolysis (EMP) and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP)& sdot;H2O2 treatment enhanced the EMP and PPP by upregulating the expression of related genes. Enhancing the tricarboxylic acid cycle and inhibiting alcohol fermentation in H2O2 treatment promoted energy production. Therefore, the long-term and stable energy supply might be crucial for the delayed senescence of postharvest broccoli via H2O2 treatment.