Abstract:To investigate the impact of fresh storage conditions at the origin on the quality of Chaenomeles speciosa and provide a foundation for optimizing the primary processing technology of the original C. speciosa,quality assessments were conducted on both fresh and stored of C.speciosa immediately after processing. The results showed that these assessments were carried out in accordance with the methods outlined for C. speciosa in the 2020 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) was employed to detect and analyze the chemical composition of volatile oils in both fresh and freshly stored C. speciosa. In vitro bacteriostatic assays were performed on the primary components of the volatile oils. No significant differences were observed in the quality of processed herbs derived from fresh and freshly stored C. speciosa, with both meeting the standards specified in the pharmacopoeia. However, the total amount of volatile oil in stored C. speciosa decreased by 56.65%,accompanied by noticeable changes in component types and relative contents. Specifically, the content of limonene and L-bornyl acetate in the volatile oil after storage significantly increased from 27.13% to 38.32% and from 4.43% to 28.43%,respectively. Both compounds exhibited effective bacteriostatic activity against Penicillium, with a half inhibitory concentration(MIC) of 0.16 μL·mL-1 for both limonene and L-bornyl acetate.The main quality indicators of C. speciosa remained stable after fresh storage at origin, providing a basis for fresh storage at origin prior to processing. Furthermore, the volatile components of C. speciosa demonstrated mold prevention properties, contributing to the assurance of quality stability during the fresh storage period. This study supports the feasibility of fresh storage at the origin as a processing approach to maintain the highest quality of C. speciosa.