Advances in Kiwifruit Postharvest Management: Convergence of Physiological Insights, Omics, and Nondestructive Technologies

TL;DR

This review explores how combining physiology, omics, and nondestructive technologies can improve kiwifruit postharvest quality and sustainability.

Contribution

The paper integrates recent advances in omics and nondestructive sensing for precision kiwifruit postharvest management.

Findings

Omics studies reveal molecular networks linked to ripening and stress responses in kiwifruit.

Nondestructive technologies like hyperspectral imaging enable real-time quality assessment.

Integrated approaches offer predictive tools for sustainable kiwifruit production.

Abstract

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is valued for its sensory quality and nutritional richness but faces postharvest challenges such as rapid softening, chilling injury, and physiological disorders. Conventional management strategies help maintain quality yet insufficient to capture the complexity of ripening, stress physiology, and cultivar-specific variation. Recent research emphasizes the continuum from preharvest to postharvest, where orchard practices, harvest maturity, and handling conditions influence quality and storage potential. Omics-driven studies, particularly transcriptomics and metabolomics, have revealed molecular networks regulating softening, sugar–acid balance, pigmentation, antioxidant properties, and chilling tolerance. Integrated multi-omics approaches identify key biomarkers and gene–metabolite relationships linked to ripening and stress responses. Complementing omics, nondestructive estimation technologies, including hyperspectral imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, acoustic profiling, and chemometric models are emerging as practical tools for real-time classification of maturity, quality, and storability. When calibrated with omics-derived biomarkers, these technologies provide predictive, non-invasive assessments that can be deployed across the supply chain. Together, the convergence of postharvest physiology, omics, and nondestructive sensing offers a pathway toward precision quality management and sustainable kiwifruit production. This review synthesizes recent advances across these domains, highlighting mechanistic insights, practical applications, and future directions for integrating omics-informed strategies with commercial postharvest technologies.