Chinese olive is recognized as a medicinal food by the National Health Commission of China. As a fresh fruit, its flavor profile is shaped by a variety of compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, amino acids, cellulose, pectin, terpenes, sugar, and acid, which contribute to its bitterness, sweet aftertaste, texture, and aroma. External factors like soil types, cultivation methods, harvest time, and storage conditions also affect its eating quality. As a traditional Chinese medicinal material, it exhibits various pharmacological activities including anti-alcohol and hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-aging, blood sugar- and lipid-lowering, and gut microbiota-regulating effects owing to its bioactive components such as flavonoids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, and lipids. The formation of the flavor and medicinal efficacy of Chinese olive is both interrelated and contradictory with each other. From the perspective of its dual uses as medicine and food, the current status of research on the eating quality and pharmacological activities of Chinese olive is reviewed, and an integrative framework that combines breeding strategies, component identification, efficacy exploration, and quality improvement is proposed to provide theoretical guidance for future development and utilization of the flavor and medicinal efficacy of Chinese olive.

The aim of the study was to investigate the appropriate postharvest storage temperature for Pouteria caimito Radlk., to prolong its storage life, and more broadly to expand the market for Pouteria caimito. The effects of different storage temperatures on the postharvest physiology and storage quality of P. caimito were studied by determining the main quality indices and physiological indices of fruit samples stored at 5, 10, 15 or 20 ℃ after harvest. The results showed that cold storage could maintain the quality of P. caimito to a certain extent, but chilling injury (CI) symptoms, characterized by pitting and water-soaked appearance of the fruit surface and peel browning, appeared after three days of storage at 5 ℃. Compared with the other three storage temperatures, storage at 10 ℃ could maintain higher levels of fruit hardness, total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C (VC) and total sugar, and lower respiratory intensity and cell membrane permeability. Compared with 20 ℃, storage at 10 ℃ could inhibit the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, thereby delaying the senescence and browning of P. caimito. Therefore, 10 ℃ was the appropriate storage temperature for P. caimito. The results of this study will provide a theoretical basis for postharvest quality maintenance of P. caimito.