Abstract: Melatonin (MT) is an indoleamine widely existing in organisms, especially in tissues and organs of higher plants, which plays an important role in regulating seed germination, growth and development, stress resistance, and maturation and senescence of higher plants. Current studies demonstrate that MT significantly delays senescence and quality deterioration of postharvest fruits and vegetables. This review briefly introduces the MT synthesis pathway in plants and its level in selected fruits and vegetables along with the factors affecting it. The focus of this review is on the regulatory effect of MT on the postharvest physiology (respiration, ethylene formation, and antioxidant enzyme activity) and quality (color, bioactive substances, and antioxidant activity) of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, this review elaborates the possible underlying mechanism, and it discusses problems existing in the research on MT in postharvest preservation of fruits and vegetables and future research priorities in order to provide a reference for further research in this field.

Key words: melatonin; fruit and vegetable preservation; antioxidation; senescence; yellowing