Quality of Postharvest Degreened Citrus Fruit

Abstract

External color is a key factor that defines external citrus fruit quality. Degreening with exogenous ethylene exposure is a widely used postharvest treatment applied to promote external citrus fruit color development, mainly with those cultivars that reach internal maturity while their external peel color is still green. Ethylene plays a crucial role in the color change of citrus fruit because it induces two simultaneous, but independent, processes—chlorophyll degradation and carotenoid synthesis. However, it is important to know, in addition to the effect on skin color development, whether this treatment can negatively affect other fruit quality parameters. This chapter addresses the influence of postharvest degreening treatment on the physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory quality of citrus fruit.