The effect of melatonin treatment on postharvest life of tomato (Solanum ycopersicum L.) by changing the content of antioxidant compounds

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the exogenous application of melatonin treatment on the activity of enzymes and compounds effective in the shelf life of tomato fruit during storage. Melatonin has been implicated in various aspects of cell growth and development and has recently been shown to play a role in protecting cells from biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, tomato fruit was immersed with 100 μM L-1 melatonin as a treatment and distilled water as a control group for 15 minutes, then kept at 4±° C for 4 weeks. The results showed that melatonin treatment by reducing the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes was able to reduce the content of free radicals’ superoxide and hydrogen peroxide and thus the content of flavonoids, total phenol, vitamin C, and glucosinolate. These results showed that melatonin treatment can be effective by increasing the content of cell protective compounds and also by affecting the activity of antioxidant enzymes to increase the post-harvest life of tomato fruit.