High Humidity Helps Preserve Strawberry Aroma During Postharvest Storage

High humidity plays a key role in preserving strawberry aroma

Strawberry aroma is one of the most important quality attributes influencing consumer acceptance. However, water loss during postharvest storage and distribution can significantly alter the fruit's volatile profile.

A new study investigated how relative humidity management affects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for aroma as well as membrane lipid metabolism during postharvest storage.

Low humidity disrupts aroma composition

Researchers stored strawberries for eight days under two humidity conditions: high relative humidity (90%) and low relative humidity (45%).

Although fruit stored under low humidity showed approximately 17% more total volatile organic compounds, this increase did not improve aroma quality. Instead, it resulted in a significant imbalance in volatile composition.

Fresh and floral aroma compounds, including green aldehydes and terpenes, declined under low humidity, while lipid-derived volatiles and furanones accumulated, reflecting metabolic changes triggered by water-loss stress.

Water stress accelerates membrane damage

The study also found that strawberries stored under low humidity exhibited a 43% increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of oxidative membrane damage.

At the same time, phospholipase D (PLD) abundance and phosphatidic acid (PA) levels decreased, indicating weakened membrane lipid signalling.

Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that lipoxygenase (LOX)-related pathways responded more strongly than PLD-associated pathways under low-humidity conditions.

Better humidity management improves postharvest quality

The researchers identified strong links between membrane lipid metabolism and the production of aroma-related volatile compounds.

According to the study, maintaining high relative humidity during storage reduces water-loss-induced membrane oxidation and helps preserve a balanced aroma profile.

These findings provide new mechanistic evidence supporting humidity management as an effective strategy for maintaining strawberry sensory quality throughout postharvest storage.

Source

Wang, J., Huang, J., Li, Z., Chen, Y., Wang, Q., Zhu, L., Wang, Y., Xu, H., Luo, Z., & Xu, Y. (2026). Humidity management modulates aroma deterioration in postharvest strawberry through volatile remodeling and membrane lipid metabolism. Controlled Environment Agriculture. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927126001814