Abstract
Ripening is a genetically programmed highly coordinated irreversible phenomenon which includes many biochemical changes including tissue softening, pigment changes, aroma and flavour volatile production, reduction in astringency, and many others. Banana is one of mostly consumed fruit crops in the world. Since banana is a climactic fruit, induced ripening is essential in commercial scale banana cultivation and distribution to assure good flavour, texture, and uniform peel colour. Ethylene gas, acetylene gas liberated from calcium carbide, and ethephon are some of the commercial ripening agents used successfully in the trade and they have been widely studied for their effectiveness on initiating and accelerating the ripening process and their effect on fruit quality and health related issues. Lauryl alcohol was also shown as a ripening agent for bananas. Most studies suggest that there is no difference in biochemical composition and sensory quality in bananas treated with chemicals that induce ripening from naturally ripened bananas. However volatile profiles of artificially ripened bananas were shown to be considerably different from naturally ripened bananas in some studies. This review discusses induced ripening agents and their effect on fruit quality of bananas.
Highlights
Ripening PhysiologyThe life of a fruit can be divided into three phases: fruit set, fruit development, and fruit ripening
Introduction to BananaBanana (Musa spp.) is one of the most widely cultivated and widely consumed fruit crops in the world
Further this study showed that increment in respiration depends on time of treatment whereas 12-hour treatment was slightly effective than 6 hours treatment
Summary
The life of a fruit can be divided into three phases: fruit set, fruit development, and fruit ripening. Fruit ripening is the initiation of fruit senescence which is a genetically programmed highly coordinated process of organ transformation from unripe to ripe stage to yield an attractive edible fruit [1] It is an irreversible phenomenon involving a series of biochemical, physiological, and organoleptic changes [2]. System 1 represents ethylene biosynthesis during the preclimacteric stage of climacteric fruits as well as during the whole ripening process of nonclimacteric fruits. This is responsible for very low levels of ethylene production and is regulated in an autoinhibitory manner. This activates a transcriptional cascade, involving Ethylene Insensitive 3 (EIN3)/Ethylene Insensitive 3 like 1 (EIL1) as the primary transcription factor and ERFs, which in turn regulate genes underlying ripening related behavior [8, 9]
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