Considerable interest has emerged in developing biodegradable food packaging materials derived from polysaccharides. Phenolic compounds serve as natural bioactive substances with a range of functional properties. Various phenolic compounds have been incorporated into polysaccharide-based films and coatings for food packaging, thereby enhancing product shelf life by mitigating quality degradation due to oxidation and microbial growth. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of polysaccharide-based active films and coatings enriched with phenolic compounds for preserving fruits and vegetables. The different approaches for the addition of phenols to polysaccharides-based packaging materials are discussed. The modifications in film properties resulting from incorporating polyphenols are systematically characterized. Then, the application of these composite materials as protectants and intelligent packaging in fruit and vegetables preservation is highlighted. In future, several points, such as the preservative mechanism, safety evaluation, and combination with other techniques along the whole supply chain could be considered to design polyphenol–polysaccharides packaging more in line with actual production needs.

Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains of Lactobacillus plantarum 21802 and Lactobacillus brevis 6239 were selected and combined for fermentation of grape juice. The changes of sugars, organic acids, volatiles, phenolic compounds as well as antioxidant capacity of the grape juice were characterized. Results showed that fermentation with LAB led to a slight decrease in sugar content and increased in organic acid content. The sugars were mainly consumed at the initial stage of fermentation, while the malic acid was consumed completely during the fermentation. The contents of total phenolics and flavonoids in grape juice decreased gradually during the fermentation process. As compared with the initial contents in unfermented grape juice, the contents of proanthocyanin B2, rutin, isoquercitrin, rhamnose-3-O-glucoside in the final fermented grape juice were increased by 26.83%, 249.24%, 138.48%, 139.60%, respectively, while the contents of gallic acid, proanthocyanin B1, catechin and epicatechin were decreased by 24.49%, 14.85%, 71.68%, 42.52%, respectively. The mice fed with the fermented grape juice showed higher activity of superoxide dismutase and lower level of malondialdehyde both in serum and liver tissue than those fed with the unfermented grape juice. Fermentation with LAB also enhanced the flavor profile by increasing the total number and content of volatile compounds, especially those of monoterpene alcohols, which are the main and characteristic aroma volatile compounds in Muscat aroma grapes. This research confirmed that fermentation with LAB might be a desirable option for improving the flavor and nutritional attributes of grape juice by altering the ratio of sugar to organic acid, improving the phenolic compounds, enhancing the antioxidant capacity, intensifying of the characteristic aroma and pleasant flavor of the grape juice.

Peach blossoms were harvested and classified into six developmental stages: (I) bud emerging stage; (II) middle bud stage; (III) large bud stage; (IV) initial-flowering stage; (V) full-flowering stage; and (VI) end-flowering stage. The contents of total phenolics, flavanoids, individual phenolic compounds as well as antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of peach blossoms at different developmental stages were investigated. The total phenolic contents varied from 149.80 to 74.80 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents/g dry weight (DW), and the total flavanoid contents ranged from 93.03 to 44.06 mg rutin equivalents/g DW. Both the contents of total phenolics and flavanoids decreased during blossom development. Chlorogenic acid was the predominant component, accounting for 62.08%–71.09% of the total amount of identified phenolic compounds in peach blossom. The antioxidant capacities determined by different assays and tyrosinase inhibitory activity also showed descending patterns during blossom development. Significant correlations were observed between antioxidant capacities with contents of total phenolics and total flavanoids as well as chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid and kaempferol-3-O-galactoside, while the tyrosinase inhibitory activity had lower correlations with total phenolics and total flavanoids as well as chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-O-galactoside and cinnamic acid. The antioxidant activities of peach blossom seemed to be more dependent on the phenolic compounds than tyrosinase inhibitory activity.

Poor temperature management along a cold chain leads to fruit quality deterioration and loss. In order to determine the threshold value of temperature fluctuation in a cold chain, peach fruits were stored in four different virtual cold chains applying different temperature–time scenarios. Core temperature profiling, the physicochemical qualities, and the activities of the peaches’ antioxidant enzymes were monitored during cold storage and shelf life. Abusive temperature management (temperature increased to 20 and 15 °C three times) resulted in a significant increase in a peach’s core temperature to the highest temperature measured: 17.6 °C. The ethylene production rate at the end of the shelf life of peaches under these temperatures was 21.03–28.16% higher than the constant-temperature group and accompanied by significantly lower levels of flesh firmness, titratable acid content, total phenol and flavonoid content, and peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities (p < 0.05). The results of a principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmap confirmed the results. Limited temperature increases (10 °C) in a cold chain had little impact on the quality of the peaches, while temperature increases higher than 15 °C three times would negatively affect the quality of the peaches significantly. The temperature of a cold chain needs to be controlled precisely to reduce the loss of peaches.

Lack of acidity is the main reason for the spoilage of cherry wine, and for insufficient aroma and mouthfeel. In this study, the initial acidity of cherry purees was adjusted to 3.50, 4.15, 4.80 and 5.45 g/kg by using malic acid, lactic acid and a mixture of the two before fermentation. And the effects of different organic acid additions on the physicochemical profiles and sensory properties of cherry wines were investigated. Our findings suggest that organic acid addition can inhibit the formation of volatile acid and enhance ethanol production, while having a negative effect on their polyphenol contents. These additions can be utilized as carbon sources during cherry wine fermentation and affect its metabolism. Among them, the application of malic acid with lactic acid was shown to have more metabolically active effects on non-volatile compounds, and enhanced the total volatile organic compounds by 14.04%–66.92%. MC-4.80 and MLC-4.80 had the highest total VOC content and odor score in the sensory evaluation. However, the addition of large amounts of acids reduced the acidity score and overall acceptability of cherry wine. In conclusion, adjusting the initial acid content to 4.15 g/kg before fermentation significantly improved the quality of cherry wines, and the combination of malic acid and lactic acid was more effective for cherry winemaking. This finding evidenced that organic acid addition could be an effective strategy for improving the quality of cherry wines.