Abstract: Mechanical injury brings some changes in physiological and biochemical characteristics of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Enzymatic browning is one of the major causes of quality deterioration of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. In this paper, we introduce four key enzymes participating in enzymatic browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, such as polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, lipoxygenase and peroxidase, together with their mechanism, characteristics and factors affecting their activities. It can provide a theoretical basis for studying enzymatic browning mechanism and control methods of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

Key words: fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, enzymatic browning, key enzyme, storage