FRUITS (2)

Some Families
Families Examples
Myrtaceae Guava
Rutaceae Citrus (orange, lemon etc.)
Rosaceae Rose, apple, pear, apricot, plums, cherry,
peach, raspberry, strawberry, almond
Malvaceae Okra, cotton, cacao, durian
Musaceae Banana
Bromeliaceae Pineapple
Cucurbitaceae Watermelon, melon, pumpkin, cucumber
Fam. ARECACEAE / PALMAE

 Arenga pinnata (enau / aren / kolang-kaling)

 Cocos nucifera (kelapa)
 Phoenix dactylifera (kurma)
 Salacca zalacca (salak)
 Metroxylon sago (rumbia / sagu)
 Elaeis guineensis (kelapa sawit)
 Borassus flabellifer (lontar / siwalan)
 Ripening
 Fruits  Live cells;
metabolism and respiration
occurs after harvest
 Temperature, time or added
gases are of real interest and
influence ripening.
 One aspect of ripening is
production of ethylene (C2H4).
Ethylene activates fruits
ripening
 Fruits attain their desirable
flavour, quality, colour,
palatable nature and other
textural properties.
 Associated with change in
composition i.e. conversion of
starch to sugar.
Changes during ripening (1)
1. CELL WALL
 Degradation of pectic polysaccharides
 Further breakdown of water-soluble pectin by enzymes
(pectin methyl esterase)
 Softening of fruits
2. STARCH
 Starch hydrolyzed  sucrose  glucose, fructose.
3. ORGANIC ACIDS
  during storage and ripening
 Due to :
 Reduced ability of fruits to synthesize organic acids
 Translocation into sugars
 Dilution effect
 Affecting the flavor, aroma, color of fruits
 Changes during ripening (2)
4. COLOR
 Degradation  of chlorophyll
 Synthesis of other pigments
(antocyanins or carotenoids)

Chloroplast Chromoplasts

 Chlorophyll  Carotenoid
pigments
Changes during ripening (3)
5. FLAVORING COMPOUNDS
 Production of specific flavoring volatile
(esters, alcohols, aldehydes, acids and
ketones)
6. ETHYLENE
 Ethylene productions   in respiration,
temperature, hydrolytic enzymes activity ;
green pigment  yellow/orange carotenoids
Climacteric vs Non-Climacteric
 Classically, the types of fruit ripening
categorized fruits into two groups: climacteric
and non-climacteric.
 The classification depends on whether ripening
associated increased respiration occurs in the
fruit
 Climacteric fruits  an increase in respiration
with a naturally occuring and rapid production
of ethylene at the initiation of ripening
 In contrast, these changes do not occur in non-
climacteric fruits, and maturation proceeds
relatively slowly.
Climacteric vs Non-Climacteric
 Climacteric fruits can be harvested while
mature but still green, and will ripen well on
their own. They often store their sugars in the
form of starch, which enzymes convert back
into sweetness during post-harvest ripening.
 Non-climacteric fruits ripen gradually, usually
don’t store sugars as starch & so depend on
their connection to the parent plant for
continued sweetening. Once harvested, they
get no sweeter, though other enzyme action
may continue to soften cell walls and generate
aroma molecules.
Examples
Climacteric Non Climacteric
Apple Cherry
Avocado Cucumber
Banana Grape
Mango Lemon
Papaya Melon
Peach Orange
Pear Pineapple
Plum Strawberry
PIGMENTS
Yellow, Orange, Red Carotenoids

 Yellow and Orange  beta-carotene,

xanthophylls, zeaxanthin
 Red in tomatoes, watermelon and chillis 
lycopene, capsanthin and capsorubin
 Carotenoids is fat soluble, relatively stable
so they tend to stay bright when food is
cooked in water
PIGMENTS
Red and Purple Anthocyanins, Pale Yellow
Anthocyanins

 Subgroup of the huge phenolic family, there are

about 300 known anthocyanins and a given fruit or
vegetable will usually contain a mixture of a dozen
or more.
 Red, purple and blue color, ex : in berries
 Stored in just the outer layers of cells and get
diluted to invisibility when the cooked cells break
open.
 Anthocyanins are very sensitive to acid-alkaline
balance of foods. Alkaline  shift to blue
AROMA
 Distinctive aromas of particular fruit are
created by specific volatile chemicals
 Nearly all food aromas are composites of
many different volatile molecules
 In vegetables, herbs and spices  a dozen
or two
 In fruits  several hundred volatile
chemicals
Enzymatic Browning
 Ex : in apple, banana, when cut or bruised
 Caused by : ring phenolic compound,
certain plant enzymes and oxygen
 Enzymes : Polyphenols oxidase
 When the tissue is injured, phenolic
compounds are released, interacting with
the enzyme in the presence of oxygen,
creating brown pigment.
 Parthenocarpic fruits
 Parthenocarpy  the seedless condition in fruits.
 Parthenocarpic fruits may develop due to (1) the absence of
pollination, (2) occurrence of pollination but failure of fertilization,
and (3) fertilization followed by abortion of embryo
 Parthenocarpy is mainly of two types—natural and artificial
parthenocarpy. Naturally parthenocarpy is genetically inherited,
and the potential of different cultivars to form parthenocarpic
fruits is variable. Parthenocarpy can also be induced artificially
using hormones, such as auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins.
However, auxins and gibberellins are well-known to induce
parthenocarpy. The treatment of young, unpollinated ovaries with
auxins leads to the production of parthenocarpic fruits in selective
cultivars of strawberry, orange, grapes, and tomato.
 The phenomenon of parthenocarpy is popular among horticulturists
mainly for crops where seedless fruits are desirable, such as citrus,
grapes, and bananas for the preparation of eatables like jam,
jellies, sauces, etc. Also, seedless fruit has a longer shelf life than
fruits with seeds because seeds produce hormones that trigger
senescence.
 Fruit Preservation & Processing
 Refrigerating
 Freezing
 Dried products
 Canned products
 Fruit juice
 Sugar addition (syrup, jellies,
juice concentrate, ‘manisan’)
 Salt addition (‘asinan’)
 Fermentation (wine)