{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T09:52:51Z","timestamp":1791453171033,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":94,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791072000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791072000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010801","name":"Xunta de Galicia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GPC-ED431B 2023\/3"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GPC-ED431B 2023\/3"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010801","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["GPC-ED431B 2023\/3"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GPC-ED431B 2023\/3"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0181xnw06","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Melatonin regulates fruit ripening and postharvest quality, but its effect on the phenolic profile of apples and its interaction with ethylene remain unclear. We evaluated exogenous melatonin (10, 50, 500 \u00b5M), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and their combination on quality parameters and the polyphenolic profile of \u2018Reineta\u2019 apples (Malus domestica) during 35-day postharvest ripening at 22 \u00b1 2 \u00b0C. Sugars, firmness, color and ethylene production were determined, together with total phenols, flavonoids and eleven polyphenols quantified by HPLC-DAD in skin and flesh. Melatonin accelerated ripening\u2014advancing ethylene production, increasing sugars and promoting color development\u2014while significantly delaying softening. ACC reproduced the ethylene and color responses but did not modify firmness or phenolic content, whereas the melatonin\u2013ACC combination synergistically enhanced ethylene production without compromising texture or coloration. Melatonin attenuated the postharvest decline in phenols, flavonoids and individual polyphenols, mainly in skin and on chlorogenic acid, procyanidin B2 and quercetin glycosides; 50 and 500 \u00b5M were most effective. Melatonin thus uncoupled rising ethylene from firmness loss within the climacteric cascade, improving fruit quality through a protective mechanism additional to the ethylene pathway, plausibly linked to its antioxidant capacity, and making this indoleamine a promising tool for modulating apple ripening after harvest.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15193038","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T08:57:18Z","timestamp":1791190638000},"page":"3038","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Melatonin Uncouples Ripening Promotion from Softening and Enhances the Polyphenol Profile in Postharvest \u2018Reineta\u2019 Apples (Malus domestica)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4744-6152","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00eda","family":"Verde","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Biolog\u00eda Vegetal y Ciencias del Suelo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3474-2139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jes\u00fas M.","family":"M\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Biolog\u00eda Funcional y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9123-1258","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mercedes","family":"Gallardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Biolog\u00eda Vegetal y Ciencias del Suelo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"609","DOI":"10.1021\/jf020782a","article-title":"Antioxidant Activity of Apple Peels","volume":"51","author":"Wolfe","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. 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