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Fruit ripening and quality

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The Tomato Crop

Part of the book series: The Tomato Crop ((WOCS))

Abstract

The conversion of a tomato fruit from the mature green to fully ripe state involves dramatic changes in colour, composition, aroma, flavour and texture. Ripening used to be thought of simply as the result of a series of degradative processes, probably because some of the more obvious changes require the action of hydrolytic enzymes. However, it is now clear that ripening is dependent on a wide range of separate synthetic as well as degradative reactions. These include alterations in metabolism and gene expression which have a dramatic effect on fruit quality. The changes are highly coordinated; they occur in the majority of the cells of the fruit and involve every subcellular compartment. The various facets of ripening appear to be coordinated and regulated by plant hormones but may be modified by genetic and environmental factors. In this chapter the general features of tomato ripening are outlined first, together with a discussion of the cellular mechanisms regulating the process. This is followed by a consideration of the ways in which genotype, growing conditions, disease, and post-harvest history can influence specific quality attributes.

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Authors
  1. D. Gierson
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  2. A. A. Kader
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, UK

    Jeff G. Atherton

  2. The Levi Eshkol School of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76-100, PO Box 12, Israel

    Jehoshua Rudich

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Gierson, D., Kader, A.A. (1986). Fruit ripening and quality. In: Atherton, J.G., Rudich, J. (eds) The Tomato Crop. The Tomato Crop. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3137-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3137-4_6

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