Abstract
Onion bulbs are typically stored at lower storage temperature for a long time, permitting their year-round availability in the market. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships among onion bulb quality, targeted major metabolites, and mineral nutrient contents in long-term cold-stored onion bulbs from four major different commercial onion packinghouses. Bulb fresh and dry weight, fructose, glucose, citric acid, total phenolic compounds, and ABTS were highest in Muan, compared with the other packinghouses. The contents of K, Mn, Zn, and Cu, the ratios of K/Mg, K/Ca, and Mn/Ca, and the contents of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and total anthocyanins were highest in Hamyang, compared with the other packinghouses. The contents of individual free amino acids were most likely highest in Hamyang and Mungyeong packinghouses, compared with the other packinghouses. The overall responses of bulb quality, targeted major metabolites, and mineral nutrients substantially affected the differential expression pattern of principal component analysis among four commercial packinghouses. While fructose was positively correlated with glucose, it was negatively correlated with methionine, leucine, valine, isoleucine, and aspartic acid. Antioxidant activities in terms of ABTS and DPPH were negatively correlated with Mn but positively correlated with bulb dry weight, ho, and lightness. The collective results indicate that onion bulb quality was highly affected by commercial onion packinghouses, thus glucose and fructose were highly associated with amino acids and bulb dry weight with most bulb physiological parameters. Therefore, the commercial storage facility may play a pivotal role in the fluctuation of targeted major metabolites and mineral nutrients after long-term cold storage.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al Shoffe Y, Nock JF, Baugher TA, Marini RP, Watkins CB (2020) Bitter pit and soft scald development during storage of unconditioned and conditioned ‘Honeycrisp’ apples in relation to mineral contents and harvest indices. Postharvest Biol Technol 160:111044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2019.111044
Bansal MK, Boyhan GE, MacLean DD (2015) Effects of postharvest curing, ozone, sulfur dioxide, or low oxygen/high carbon dioxide storage atmospheres on quality of short-day onions. HortTechnology 25:639–644. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.25.5.639
Bansal MK, Boyhan GE, MacLean DD (2018) Effect of postharvest chemical treatments, heat curing, and refrigerated storage on marketability of short-day onions. HortTechnology 28:129–135. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH03903-17
Basu S, Duren W, Evans CR, Burant CF, Michailidis G, Karnovsky A (2017) Sparse network modeling and metscape-based visualization methods for the analysis of large-scale metabolomics data. Bioinformatics 33:1545–1553. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btx012
Bekele M (2018) Effects of different levels of potassium fertilization on yield, quality and storage life of onion (Allium cepa L.) at Jimma. Southwestern Ethiopia J Food Sci Nutr 1:32–39. https://doi.org/10.35841/food-science.1.2.32-39
Bekele M, Mohammed A, Nebiyu A (2018) Quality and storage life of onion (Allium cepa L.) as influenced by applications of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, at Jimma, South Western Ethiopia. J Nat Sci Res 8:31–44
Belge B, Goulao LF, Comabella E, Graell J, Lara I (2017) Refrigerated storage and calcium dips of ripe ‘Celeste’ sweet cherry fruit: combined effects on cell wall metabolism. Sci Hortic 219:182–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.02.039
Benkeblia N (2000) Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, pyruvic acid and total phenolics variations in onion bulbs during long-term storage. LWT-Food Sci Technol 33:112–116. https://doi.org/10.1006/fstl.1999.0624
Benkeblia N, Ueno K, Onodera S, Shiomi N (2005) Variation of fructooligosaccharides and their metabolizing enzymes in onion bulb (Allium cepa L. cv. Tenshin) during long-term storage. J Food Sci 70:S208–S214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb07159.x
Böttcher C, Krähmer A, Stürtz M, Widder S, Schulz H (2018) Effect of cultivar and cultivation year on the metabolite profile of onion bulbs (Allium cepa L.). J Agric Food Chem 66:3229–3238. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b00254
Choi KY, Lee Y-B (2008) Effects of relative humidity and the apparent variability in the incidence of tipburn symptom and distribution of mineral nutrients between morphologically different lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 49:20–24
Chope GA, Terry LA (2010) Effect of curing at different temperatures on phytohormone and biochemical composition of onion ‘Red Baron’ during long-term postharvest storage. Acta Hortic 877:699–705. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.877.92
Chope GA, Terry LA, White PJ (2007a) The effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the physical and biochemical characteristics of onion cv. SS1 bulbs during storage. Postharvest Biol Technol 44:131–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.11.012
Chope GA, Terry LA, White PJ (2007b) The effect of the transition between controlled atmosphere and regular atmosphere storage on bulbs of onion cultivars SS1, Carlos and Renate. Postharvest Biol Technol 44:228–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.12.018
Chope GA, Cools K, Hammond JP, Thompson AJ, Terry LA (2012) Physiological, biochemical and transcriptional analysis of onion bulbs during storage. Ann Bot 109:819–831. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcr318
Coolong TW, Randle WM, Wicker L (2008) Structural and chemical differences in the cell wall regions in relation to scale firmness of three onion (Allium cepa L.) selections at harvest and during storage. J Sci Food Agric 88:1277–1286. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.3219
de Freitas ST, Handa AK, Wu Q, Park S, Mitcham EJ (2012) Role of pectin methylesterases in cellular calcium distribution and blossom-end rot development in tomato fruit. Plant J 71:824–835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.05034.x
Díaz-Pérez JC, Bautista J, Gunawan G, Bateman A, Riner CM (2018) Sweet onion (Allium cepa L.) as influenced by organic fertilization rate: 2. Bulb yield and quality before and after storage. HortScience 53:459–464. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI12360-17
Downes K, Chope GA, Terry LA (2010) Postharvest application of ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene either before or after curing affects onion (Allium cepa L.) bulb quality during long term cold storage. Postharvest Biol Technol 55:36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2009.08.003
Eshel D, Teper-Bamnolker P, Vinokur Y, Saad I, Zutahy Y, Rodov V (2014) Fast curing: a method to improve postharvest quality of onions in hot climate harvest. Postharvest Biol Technol 88:34–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2013.09.002
Etana MB, Mohammed A, Nebiyu A (2019) Effects of different level of nitrogen fertilizer application on growth, yield, quality and storage life of onion (Allium cepa L.) at Jimma, South Western Ethiopia. J Nat Sci Res 9:32–40
Forney CF (2008) Optimizing the storage temperature and humidity for fresh cranberries: a reassessment of chilling sensitivity. HortScience 43:439–446. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.43.2.439
Golubkina N, Amalfitano C, Sekara A, Tallarita A, Pokluda R, Stoleru V, Cuciniello A, Agafonov AF, Kalisz A, Hamburdă SB, Caruso G (2022) Yield and bulb quality of storage onion cultivars as affected by farming system and nitrogen dose. Sci Hortic 293:110751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110751
Hansen SL (1999) Content and composition of dry matter in onion (Allium cepa L.) as influenced by developmental stage at time of harvest and long-term storage. Acta Agric Scand B Soil Plant Sci 49:103–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064719950135614
Hansen SL (2001) Content of free amino acids in onion (Allium cepa L.) as influenced by the stage of development at harvest and long-term storage. Acta Agric Scand B Soil Plant Sci 51:77–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/090647101753483796
Hong J, Wang L, Sun Y, Zhao L, Niu G, Tan W, Rico CM, Peralta-Videa JR, Gardea-Torresdey JL (2016) Foliar applied nanoscale and microscale CeO2 and CuO alter cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit quality. Sci Total Environ 563–564:904–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.029
Hurst WC, Shewfelt RL, Schuler GA (1985) Shelf-life and quality changes in summer storage onions (Allium cepa). J Food Sci 50:761–763. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1985.tb13791.x
Inkham C, Piriyapongpitak P, Ruamrungsri S (2019) Storage and growth temperatures affect growth, flower quality, and bulb quality of Hippeastrum. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 60:357–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-019-00124-w
Inthichack P, Nishimura Y, Fukumoto Y (2012) Effect of potassium sources and rates on plant growth, mineral absorption, and the incidence of tip burn in cabbage, celery, and lettuce. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 53:135–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-012-0126-z
Islam MN, Wang A, Pedersen JS, Sørensen JN, Körner O, Edelenbos M (2019) Online measurement of temperature and relative humidity as marker tools for quality changes in onion bulbs during storage. PLoS ONE 14:e0210577. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210577
Jaime L, Martín-Cabrejas MA, Mollá E, López-Andréu FJ, Esteban RM (2001) Effect of storage on fructan and fructooligosaccharide of onion (Allium cepa L.). J Agric Food Chem 49:982–988. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf000921t
Johnson DS (2000) Mineral composition, harvest maturity and storage quality of ‘Red Pippin’, ‘Gala’ and ‘Jonagold’ apples. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 75:697–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2000.11511310
Kim K-D, Suh J-T, Kim C-S, Jee S-N (2021) Tipburn occurrence according to soil moisture, calcium deficiency, and day/night relative humidity regime in highland Kimchi cabbage. Hortic Sci Technol 39:738–749. https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20210065
Kroumova AB, Xie Z, Wagner GJ (1994) A pathway for the biosynthesis of straight and branched, odd- and even-length, medium-chain fatty acids in plants. Proc Nat’l Acad Sci USA 91:11437–11441. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.24.11437
Ku YG, Chung GC, Lee JH (2017) Tipburn incidence in strawberry leaves in relation to calcium concentration. Hortic Sci Technol 35:534–543. https://doi.org/10.12972/kjhst.20170058
Kwon Y-D (2017) Beneficial effects of ton-bag and wire-steel pallet on postharvest handling of onion and the cost evaluation. Kor J Food Preserv 24:915–922. https://doi.org/10.11002/kjfp.2017.24.7.915
Lancaster JE, Reay PF, Mann JD, Bennett WD, Sedcole JR (1988) Quality in New Zealand-grown onion bulbs—a survey of chemical and physical characteristics. N Z J Exp Agric 16:279–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/03015521.1988.10425651
Lee J, Mudge KW (2013) Gypsum effects on plant growth, nutrients, ginsenosides, and their relationship in American ginseng. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 54:228–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-013-0029-7
Lee J, Durst RW, Wrolstad RE (2005) Determination of total monomeric anthocyanin pigment content of fruit juices, beverages, natural colorants, and wines by the pH differential method: Collaborative study. J AOAC Int 88:1269–1278. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/88.5.1269
Lee EJ, Yoo KS, Jifon J, Patil BS (2009) Characterization of shortday onion cultivars of 3 pungency levels with flavor precursor, free amino acid, sulfur, and sugar contents. J Food Sci 74:C475–C480. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01243.x
Lee J, Ha I, Kim H, Choi S, Lee S, Kang J, Boyhan GE (2016) Regional differences in onion bulb quality and nutrient content, and the correlation between bulb characteristics and storage loss. Hortic Sci Technol 34:807–817. https://doi.org/10.12972/kjhst.20160085
Lee J, Moon J-S, Kim J, Park G-O, Kwon J-H, Ha I-J, Kwon Y-S, Chang Y-H (2020) Evaluation of onion cultivars as affected by bulb maturity and bulb characteristics of intermediate-day yellow onions in South Korea. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 95:645–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2020.1742586
Lee J, Park G-H, Na MH, Cho K, Na H (2022) Effects of the application times and strength of additional fertilizers on onion bulb quality parameters at harvest and during storage. Hortic Sci Technol 40:134–146. https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20220013
Lwin HP, Lee J (2020) Fruit quality and major metabolites in cold-stored ‘Wonhwang’ Asian pears are differentially affected by fruit size. J Sci Food Agric 100:5117–5125. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10422
Lwin HP, Lee J (2021a) Differential effects of preharvest sprayable 1-methylcyclopropene application on fruit quality attributes and major targeted metabolites in cold-stored ‘Chuhwangbae’ pears. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 62:53–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-020-00289-9
Lwin HP, Lee J (2021b) Preharvest 1-methylcyclopropene treatment effects on fruit quality attributes and targeted metabolites in ‘Wonhwang’ pears stored at room temperature after cold storage. Sci Hortic 289:110480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110480
Lwin HP, Choi J-H, Chun J-P, Watkins CB, Lee J (2021a) 1-Methylcyclopropene treatment alters fruit quality attributes and targeted metabolites in ‘Wonhwang’ pears during shelf life. Sci Hortic 284:110125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110125
Lwin HP, Rudell DR, Lee J (2021b) Metabolism and cold chain performance of ‘Chuhwangbae’ Asian pears as impacted by 1-MCP treatment. Sci Hortic 288:110357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110357
Maw BW, Mullinix BG (2005) Moisture loss of sweet Onions during curing. Postharvest Biol Technol 35:223–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2004.04.008
McGuire RG (1992) Reporting of objective color measurements. HortScience 27:1254–1255. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.27.12.1254
Mohebbi S, Babalar M, Zamani Z, Askari MA (2020) Influence of early season boron spraying and postharvest calcium dip treatment on cell-wall degrading enzymes and fruit firmness in ‘Starking Delicious’ apple during storage. Sci Hortic 259:108822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.108822
Moustafa YMM (2019) Onion quality and storage ability affected by potassium humate and NPK doses. EC Agric 5:227–235
Palencia P, Martinez F, Ribeiro E, Pestana M, Gama F, Saavedra T, de Varennes A, Correia PJ (2010) Relationship between tipburn and leaf mineral composition in strawberry. Sci Hortic 126:242–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2010.07.024
Pang Z, Chong J, Zhou G, de Lima Morais DA, Chang L, Barrette M, Gauthier C, Jacques P-É, Li S, Xia J (2021) MetaboAnalyst 5.0: narrowing the gap between raw spectra and functional insights. Nucleic Acids Res 49:W388–W396. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkab382
Petropoulos SA, Ntatsi G, Fernandes Â, Barros L, Barreira JCM, Ferreira ICFR, Antoniadis V (2016) Long-term storage effect on chemical composition, nutritional value and quality of Greek onion landrace ʻʻVatikiotiko”. Food Chem 201:168–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.01.095
Randle WM, Lancaster JE, Shaw ML, Sutton KH, Hay RL, Bussard ML (1995) Quantifying onion flavor compounds responding to sulfur fertility-sulfur increases levels of alk(en)yl cysteine sulfoxides and biosynthetic intermediates. J Amer Soc Hortic Sci 120:1075–1081. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.120.6.1075
RDA (2019) Onion cultivation manual. In: RDA (Ed.)
Re R, Pellegrini N, Proteggente A, Pannala A, Yang M, Rice-Evans C (1999) Antioxidant activity applying an improved ABTS radical cation decolorization assay. Free Radic Biol Med 26:1231–1237. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-5849(98)00315-3
Salama AM, Hicks JR, Nock JF (1990) Sugar and organic acid changes in stored onion bulbs treated with maleic hydrazide. HortScience 25:1625–1628. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.25.12.1625
Sharma K, Assefa AD, Kim S, Ko EY, Park SW (2014) Change in chemical composition of onion (Allium cepa L. cv. Sunpower) during post-storage under ambient conditions. N Z J Crop Hortic Sci 42:87–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/01140671.2013.860039
Sharma K, Asnin L, Ko EY, Lee ET, Park SW (2015a) Phytochemical composition of onion during long-term storage. Acta Agric Scand B Soil Plant Sci 65:150–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2014.983151
Sharma K, Assefa AD, Ko EY, Lee ET, Park SW (2015b) Quantitative analysis of flavonoids, sugars, phenylalanine and tryptophan in onion scales during storage under ambient conditions. J Food Sci Technol 52:2157–2165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-1225-2
Shiomi N, Benkeblia N, Onodera S (2005) The metabolism of the fructooligosaccharides in onion bulbs: a comprehensive review. J Appl Glycosci 52:121–127. https://doi.org/10.5458/jag.52.121
Timm EJ, Brown GK, Brook RC, Schulte NL, Burton CL (1991) Impact bruise estimates for onion packing lines. Appl Eng Agric 7:571–576. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.26271
Topcu Y, Nambeesan SU, van der Knaap E (2022) Blossom-end rot: a century-old problem in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and other vegetables. Mol Hortic 2:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43897-021-00022-9
Vázquez-Barrios ME, López-Echevarría G, Mercado-Silva E, Castaño-Tostado E, León-González F (2006) Study and prediction of quality changes in garlic cv. Perla (Allium sativum L.) stored at different temperatures. Sci Hortic 108:127–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2006.01.013
Walters DS, Steffens JC (1990) Branched chain amino acid metabolism in the biosynthesis of Lycopersicon pennellii glucose esters. Plant Physiol 93:1544–1551. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.93.4.1544
Win NM, Yoo J, Lwin HP, Lee EJ, Kang I-K, Lee J (2021) Effects of 1-methylcyclopropene and aminoethoxyvinylglycine treatments on fruit quality and antioxidant metabolites in cold-stored ‘Sangjudungsi’ persimmons. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 62:891–905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-021-00360-z
Wohleb CH, Waters TD (2016) Yield, quality, and storage characteristics of onion cultivars in the columbia basin of Washington in 2012–14. HortTechnology 26:230–243. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.26.2.230
Yoo KS, Lee EJ, Patil BS (2012) Changes in flavor precursors, pungency, and sugar content in short-day onion bulbs during 5-month storage at various temperatures or in controlled atmosphere. J Food Sci 77:C216–C221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02529.x
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET) through ‘Smart Agri Products Flow Storage Technology Development Program’ funded by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) [Grant No. 322052051SB010].
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
HPL: Methodology, investigation, data curation, validation, writing, and revision. SYH: Methodology, investigation, data curation, validation, and revision. S-EB: Data curation, validation, writing, and revision. JL: Data curation, validation, writing, and revision. JY: Validation, writing, and revision. HJ: Data curation, methodology, investigation, validation, writing, and revision. JL: Conceptualisation, methodology, investigation, data curation, validation, writing and editing, supervision, funding acquisition, and project administration.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this study.
Additional information
Communicated by Eun Jin Lee.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Lwin, H.P., Han, S.Y., Byeon, SE. et al. Differential responses of bulb quality attributes, mineral nutrient contents, and targeted major metabolites in onion bulbs after long-term commercial cold storage. Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 64, 627–642 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-023-00513-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-023-00513-2