Strawberries are highly perishable despite their popularity, as their limited shelf life compromises both freshness and market value. The study investigated the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and their combined treatments on the quality and flavor of strawberries during cold storage and simulated shelf life. 1-MCP was applied by enclosing strawberry fruits in a hermetically sealed container and exposing them to 250 nL/L 1-MCP at 20 °C for 18 h. Three initial MAP gas compositions were tested: MAP1 (5% O₂, 15% CO₂, 80% N₂), MAP2 (10% O₂, 10% CO₂, 80% N₂), and MAP3 (15% O₂, 5% CO₂, 80% N₂), with MAP1 identified as optimal based on strawberry postharvest quality metrics. The results showed that all treatments could inhibit the deterioration of strawberry quality, and the 1-MCP + MAP treatment had the best fresh-keeping effect. Untargeted Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified 85 volatile compounds, and sensory correlation analysis revealed that 1-MCP + MAP-treated strawberries maintained the highest consumer acceptability, with odor characteristics closely resembling those of pre-storage controls. Further studies demonstrated that the combined treatment uniquely suppressed the generation of fatty acid oxidation-derived volatiles while stabilizing critical aroma-active esters, thereby decelerating flavor degradation. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of 1-MCP + MAP as a postharvest strategy to delay the postharvest senescence of strawberries and maintain their storage quality. GC-MS provided a scientific method for the flavor quality evaluation of this preservation technology.

During cold storage, water bamboo (Zizania latifolia) is susceptible to lignification. This study employed quality evaluation, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to elucidate the mechanisms by which exogenous 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) delays lignification in water bamboo during cold storage. EBR-treated (1 mg/L) water bamboo was stored at 4 °C for 28 d, followed by additional storage at 25 °C for 3 d. The results indicate that EBR treatment effectively delays postharvest decay in water bamboo while retarding changes in weight loss, hardness, color, and total soluble solids (TSS). Transcriptomic analyses revealed that EBR treatment downregulated the expression of key genes involved in lignin biosynthesis, including peroxidase (POD) and cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR). Simultaneously, EBR suppressed the expression of cell wall degradation-related genes, such as β-glucosidase (β-BGL). Within the lignin biosynthetic diversion pathway, EBR also reduced the expression of UDP-glycosyltransferase 92A1 (UGT92A1), a gene family typically involved in monolignol glycosylation leading to lignin formation. Metabolomic profiling indicated that EBR inhibited the synthesis of metabolites in the phenylalanine biosynthetic precursor pathway, including quinic acid, phenylpyruvic acid, shikimic acid, L-phenylalanine, and (E)-ferulic acid. These findings suggest that EBR prevents lignification and preserves fruit quality in water bamboo by downregulating lignin biosynthesis genes and suppressing phenylpropanoid precursor metabolites.