Postharvest Physiology and Storage - Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging - page 20

Table 2.2. Maturity indices for selected tropical and subtropical fruits.

Index Examples

Elapsed days from full bloom to harvest Banana

Mean heat units during development Mango

Development of abscission layer Melon

Surface morphology and structure
Netting formation Cantaloupe melon

Changes in fruit gloss or surface characteristics Sweet granadilla (orange passion fruit), yellow

passion fruit, avocado (Hass)

Seed loosing Cherimoya (some cultivars)

Trichome losses Cherimoya

Size All fruits

Specific gravity Cherry, watermelon, pineapple, mango

Shape
Finger shape (roundness or angularity) Banana, plantain

Full cheeks or shoulders protuberance Mango

Textural properties:
Firmness

Avocado

Tenderness Apple

External color Most fruits

Internal color and structure
Jellylike material formation Tomato, sweet passion fruit (granadilla), yellow

passion fruit (maracuya)

Flesh color Mango

Compositional factors
Starch content Mango, purple or red mombin

Sugar content Pineapple, papaya, melon, orange, sweet

passion fruit, red or purple mombin

Acid content, sugar/acid ratio Pomegranate, citrus, papaya, melon, kiwifruit

Juice content Citrus fruits

Oil content Avocado

Dry matter content Avocado

Astringency (tannin content) Persimmon, date

Source: Montero and Cerdas (2000); Cerdas et al. (2006, 2007); Kader (1996); Olaeta and Undurraga (1995); Segura
(1996); Lizana (1994).

be produced in very small quantities by most of vegetables
tissues, which require it for growth and development, but
it diffuses rapidly from the sites of production (Mattoo and
Suttle, 1991; Saltveit, 2002; Argueso et al., 2007). The re-
sponse to ethylene presence depends on the maturity stage
of the fruit.
Various researchers (Abeles, 1973; Richardson, 1988;
Saltveit,

and uniform ripening of climacteric fruits (e.g., banana,
papaya, tomato) and some nonclimacteric fruits. Ethylene
stimulates color development with the synthesis of antho-
cyanin and carotenoids, and chlorophyll degradation (de-
greening) and yellowing. It also favors uniform texture
changes as the fruit ripens. Conversely, detrimental effects
of ethylene include acceleration of respiration rate, ethy-
lene production (autocatcalytic) and senescence, undesir-
able discoloration of cucumbers and immature tomatoes,

2002) have cited both beneficial and deteri-

orative effects of ethylene. This gas promotes rapid