Developmental and Ripening-Related Effects on the Cell Wall of Pepino (Solanum muricatum) Fruit

✍ Scribed by O’Donoghue, Erin M; Somerfield, Sheryl D; de Vré, Leigh A; Heyes, Julian A

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 364 KB
• Volume: 73
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199704)73:4<455::aid-jsfa750>3.0.co;2-q

✦ Synopsis

Several cell wall components in ripening pepino fruit have been quantitatively and qualitatively characterised, with the aim of identifying their contributions to the loss of tissue Ðrmness. Pepinos were graded into nine groups based on progressive, characteristic skin colour changes, previously shown to correspond with decreasing fruit Ðrmness. While fruit softening began when the pepinos were still green but with newly acquired purple stripes, the Ðrst signiÐcant quantitative signs of cell wall modiÐcation (total pectin and hemicellulose content declining and CDTA-soluble pectin content increasing, on a fresh weight basis) were detectable later in ripening, when the fruit began to acquire yellow skin pigmentation. Gel fractionation studies demonstrated that there were increased levels of low-molecular-weight pectin and xyloglucan during pepino ripening. The change in molecular weight distribution of CDTA-soluble pectin occurred as fruit started to acquire yellow pigmentation, while xyloglucan polymers were modiÐed at an earlier stage that coincided with the initial loss of Ðrmness.