Exploring the Impact of Citric Acid on Mitigating Sweet Potato Soft Rot and Enhancing Postharvest Quality

Yixi Chen, Linjiang Pang, Jiacheng Bai, Wenbao Yu, Yueming Zhu, Melvin Sidikie George, Zunfu Lv and Guoquan Lu ()
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Yixi Chen: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Linjiang Pang: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Jiacheng Bai: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Wenbao Yu: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Yueming Zhu: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Melvin Sidikie George: Crop Science Department, Njala University, Njala Campus, Private Mail Bag, Freetown 999127, Sierra Leone
Zunfu Lv: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China
Guoquan Lu: The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Root and Tuber Crops, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street # 666, Ling’an District, Hangzhou 311300, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Citric acid (CAC) is a ubiquitous, odorless, and non-toxic food additive. Soft rot, caused by the pathogen Rhizopus stolonifer , is a major postharvest disease affecting sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam). The main theme of this study is to determine the CAC inhibitory mechanism against Rhizopus stolonifer , the causative agent of sweet potato soft rot. To ascertain the practical applicability of CAC, both in vitro and in vivo methodologies were employed. The aim of the in vitro experiments in this study was to delineate the effects of a 0.5% ( w / v ) CAC solution on the growth inhibition of Rhizopus stolonifer , encompassing mycelial morphology and colony expansion. In vivo experiments were carried out using “Xinxiang” sweet potato varieties and the application of a 0.5% ( w / v ) CAC solution as a pretreatment. Specifically, the tissue treated with 0.5% CAC maintained better appearance quality and texture characteristics; peroxidase, β-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activities were enhanced. Conversely, the same treatment resulted in a downregulation of polyphenol oxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, cellulase, and polygalactosidase activities. Moreover, CAC treatment was found to maintain elevated levels of total phenolics and flavonoids within the sweet potato tissues. In summary, the study demonstrates that 0.5% CAC fortifies the resistance of sweet potato to soft rot by activating defense-related enzymes, suppressing the activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and promoting the accumulation of antimicrobial compounds. These results advocate for the utilization of CAC as a postharvest treatment to mitigate the incidence of sweet potato soft rot.

Keywords: Ipomoea batatas; microbe control; defense enzyme; mechanism; principal component analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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