## 3 Results and Discussion
### Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Markers and Antioxidant Content in Melatonin-Treated Dried Apricots
In this regard, future research should aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these lasting effects and explore potential synergies between melatonin and other endogenous antioxidant systems in dried fruits. Melatonin demonstrates a robust antioxidant mechanism by eliminating free radicals and enhancing oxidation resistance [30; 37]. Notably, it mitigates lipid peroxidation under various stress conditions, preventing damage to phospholipid bilayers and preserving cellular membrane structural integrity [39]. Excessive ROS accumulation catalyzes oxidation reactions in lipid and protein systems, increasing membrane lipid peroxidation. Consequently, this leads to compartmentalization disruption in cell membranes, facilitating contact between polyphenol oxidase and phenolic substrates, which triggers enzymatic browning reactions [34; 35]. During the sun-drying of apricots, melatoninin functions as a defense mechanism against oxidation reactions induced by heat and light exposure. This critical effect supports the literature's perspective of melatonin as an effective antioxidant capable of inhibiting phenolic compound oxidation [15; 39; 35]. Our experimental results substantiate the proposed antioxidant mechanism of melatonin, demonstrating a concentration-dependent protective effect that is particularly evident in the 100 uM treatment. The observed significant reductions in oxidative stress markers, such as MDA and H\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{2}\), align precisely with the proposed mechanism of free radical elimination and membrane structural preservation. These findings empirically validate the theoretical framework of melatonin's role in mitigating oxidative stress and enzymatic browning during sun-drying, underscoring its potential as a natural, effective preservation strategy for dried apricots. Effects of Exogenous Melatonin Application on Sugar Composition, Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity in Dried Apricots  
Our comprehensive investigation into the effects of exogenous melatonin (MT) treatments on dried apricots revealed significant impacts on both sugar composition and antioxidant properties, presenting several noteworthy findings that contribute to our understanding of post-harvest fruit preservation (Table 3). Regarding sugar composition analysis, the 100 uM-MT treatment emerged as the optimal concentration for preserving and enhancing sugar content, yielding significantly higher levels of glucose (18.99 g/100 g), fructose (12.58 g/100 g), and sucrose (15.52 g/100 g) compared to the control samples (\(p<0.05\)). These findings align with previous research by [PERSON] et al. [40] and [PERSON] et al. [11], who emphasized the critical influence of harvest timing and drying conditions on sugar composition. Our results extend this understanding by demonstrating that melatonin treatment can effectively modulate these changes during the drying process. The observed variations in sucrose levels across treatments can be attributed to acid hydrolysis during drying, which converts sucrose to reducing sugars (glucose and fructose), as previously documented by [PERSON] et al. [1] and [PERSON] et al. [6]. This conversion process is particularly relevant in our findings, where we observed a complex relationship between different sugar components. The subsequent reduction in reducing sugars can be explained by their participation in Maillard reactions, leading to the formation of melanins--high molecular weight reactive intermediates that influence both color and flavor, as recently described by [PERSON] et al. [41]. Sorbitol content in our samples ranged from 22.99 to 23.94 g/100 g, with the 100 uM-MT treatment showing the highest values. These findings are particularly significant when compared to the previous research by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [42], who reported that Malatya apricots contain distinctively higher sorbitol levels (16.91-26.84 mg/100 g) compared to other varieties.