Postharvest Proteomics of Perishables

The shelf-life of perishables is largely determined by preharvest factors such as growing conditions and cultural practices. To extend their shelf-life, postharvest abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, modification of the atmosphere, and/or chemical treatments are applied. In this book chapter, an updated review of the main proteomics studies devoted to understanding the role of these postharvest treatments on the maintenance of desirable quality traits is carried out. The main proteome changes under different postharvest treatments as well as in different commodities (e.g., citrus, tomato, pear, grape, potato) are exposed. The importance of preharvest factors on initial quality is highlighted with the few available examples from the recent literature. Perspectives on the areas where proteomic studies complemented by other postgenomics approaches and complementary postharvest phenotyping techniques are emphasized.