In order to know which stage of fruit development is better for acerola industrialization, we studied the PME specific activity, pectin content and vitamin C at various stages of development. The acerola fruits were classified according to colour and weight in five stages: immature green (2.62–3.21 g), green (4.04–4.83 g), mature green/yellow (5.03–5.88 g), pale-red (6.16–6.77 g) and ripe mature (6.92–8.37 g). The results showed that the highest content of pectin and vitamin C occurred at the immature green stage, 4.51±0.1% yield, 2424 mg/100 g of pulp and decreased as fruit ripened, 2.99±0.03% yield, 957±0.0 mg/100 g of pulp, respectively. However, at the same stages, the values of PME specific activity were lowest, 0.61±0.01 and 0.55±0.0 units g−1/g of pulp, respectively. The highest value of PME activity was 2.08±0.01 units g−1/g of pulp in the green stage.