Browning limits the commercial value of fresh-cut lotus root slices. Melatonin has been reported to play crucial plant roles in growth and development. However, the mechanisms in repressing the browning of fresh-cut lotuses are still unclear. In this study, fresh-cut lotus root slices were treated with melatonin, the physical signs of browning were tested, and then the selected samples (0 d, 6 d, 12 d) were used in multiomics analysis. Fresh-cut lotus root slices with a thickness of 4 mm were soaked in a 40 mmol/L melatonin solution for 10 min; then, the slices were packed in pallets and packages and stored at 10 ± 1 °C. The results show that the 40 mmol/L melatonin selected for repressing the browning of lotus roots significantly delayed the decrease in water, total soluble solid content, and Vitamin C, decreased the growth of microorganisms, enhanced total phenolic content, improved total antioxidant capacity, and decreased ·OH, H2O2, and O2-· contents. Moreover, this treatment enhanced phenylalanine ammonialyase, polyphenol oxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities and reduced peroxidase activities and soluble quinones. NnSOD (104590242), NnCAT (104609297), and some NnPOD genes showed a similar transcript accumulation pattern with enzyme activity. It can be seen from these results that exogenous melatonin accelerated an enhancement in the antioxidant system and AsA-GSH cycle system by regulating ROS-metabolism-related genes, thereby improving the capacity to withstand browning and the quality of lotus root slices. The microbiome also showed that melatonin suppressed the fertility of spoilage organisms, such as Pseudomonas, Tolumonas, Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Proteobacteria. Metabonomics data uncovered that the metabolites of flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism were involved in the process.
Keywords: ROS; browning; fresh-cut lotus root; melatonin; quality.