Abstract

Vanillic acid (VA) treatment alters metabolite and gene profiles in taro slices. • VA treatment reduces flavonoid biosynthesis and lipid metabolism in taro slices. • VA treatment promotes glutathione metabolism in taro slices. • VA treatment may be a feasible method to control browning in fresh-cut produce. Surface browning is a significant challenge that hinders high-quality development of the fresh-cut produce industry. Vanillic acid (VA), an intermediate in the phenylpropanoid pathway, presents a potential solution, but its ability to reduce browning in fresh-cut produce was unknown. This study investigated the effects of pre-treating fresh-cut taro slices with varying concentrations of VA, followed by cold storage. The results showed that VA application at concentration of 0.1 g/L and higher reduced browning development in fresh-cut taro. Further investigations, using 0.1 g/L VA treatment, evaluated its mitigation at the metabolic, transcriptional and physiological levels. Metabolomics analysis revealed that VA treatment decreased the abundance of many specific flavonoids and lipids while promoting glutathione metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis, coupled with weighted gene co-expression network analysis and gene set enrichment analysis, indicated that genes down-regulated by VA treatment were predominantly enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis and lipid metabolism pathways. Conversely, VA treatment up-regulated the expression of genes in glutathione metabolism pathway, particularly at 6 d. Molecular docking analysis validated that VA could directly bind to the active sites of four key proteins involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis and lipid metabolism pathways. Physiological measurements showed that VA treatment reduced the activities of POD and PPO, lowered total phenolics, MDA, H 2 O 2 , and GSH levels, while increasing GSSG concentration. The multi‑omics data, together with physiological results, demonstrate that VA treatment effectively prevents browning in