Effects of Electrolyzed Functional Water Combined with Modified Atmosphere Storage on Postharvest Quality of Arrow Bamboo Shoots

Postharvest lignification and microbial spoilage limit the shelf life of arrow bamboo shoots. This study evaluated the effects of electrolyzed functional water (EFW) combined with spontaneous modified-atmosphere (MA) packaging (EFW+MA) on postharvest quality and associated physiological, metabolic, and microbial changes. EFW+MA reduced weight loss, decay incidence, and browning while maintaining firmness and color. It also reduced lignin and cellulose accumulation, accompanied by lower activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Untargeted liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics showed that storage-associated metabolic changes were moderated by EFW+MA, including lower abundances of phenylalanine and tyrosine in the treated samples. In addition, EFW+MA enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and alleviated membrane lipid peroxidation. 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing showed that EFW+MA reduced operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and altered bacterial community composition, including lower relative abundances of Campylobacterota and Enterobacteriaceae and a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae. Overall, EFW+MA delayed postharvest quality deterioration of arrow bamboo shoots, accompanied by changes in lignification-related physiology, oxidative defense, metabolite profiles, and bacterial communities.