Impact of iron chelate on phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzyme activity and antioxidant properties of strawberry ‘kamarossa’ fruit during developmental stages

The strawberry is one of the favorite fruits throughout the world and may be classified as a functional food as it is a rich source of phytochemicals and vitamins (Olsson et al., 2004). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Fe-EDTA fertilizer on PAL enzyme activity and antioxidant properties of strawberry fruit during developmental stages.

The experiment was factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental factor was consisted of iron chelate (Fe-EDTA) in 1400 µmol/l level. This experiment was carried out at University of Zanjan in 2018. Finally, data analysis was done using SPSS 22 and means were compared by Duncan’s multiple range tests at 5% level of probability.

Results showed that ascorbic acid, TSS, phenols and flavonoids were significantly increased by Fe-EDTA treatment in comparison to the controls. In addition, strawberry fruits treated with Fe-EDTA exhibited higher DPPH and PAL enzyme activity concomitant with higher phenols and flavonoids accumulation. The interaction was significant in all properties. These results are in agreement with those obtained by Pestana et al., (2010) and Amaliotis et al., (2002) of strawberry growth and crop yield improved by foliar application of iron chelate.

Generally, the findings of current study elucidated that the use of iron chelate had strong impact on PAL enzymatic activity and quality properties of strawberry fruits during ripening stages in this study. Keywords: Iron chelate, antioxidant characteristics, PAL, Strawberry fruit