What is ripening? Describe the compositional changes that occur during ripening of fruits.
Ripening is a complex physiological and biochemical process that occurs in fruits, transforming them from an immature, often hard, and sour state into a mature, soft, sweet, and flavorful condition suitable for consumption. It involves a series of coordinated changes in the fruit's chemistry and physiology that affect texture, color, flavor, aroma, and nutritional quality. Ripening is regulated by plant hormones, mainly ethylene in climacteric fruits (such as bananas, tomatoes, and mangoes), which trigger a cascade of enzymatic activities leading to various compositional changes.
During ripening, several major compositional changes occur in fruits:
1. Changes in Carbohydrates:
One of the most noticeable changes is the conversion of starch to sugars. In many fruits, starch accumulates during the immature phase and breaks down into simpler sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose during ripening. This increase in sugar content is responsible for the sweet taste of ripe fruits. Enzymes like amylase and phosphorylase catalyze the hydrolysis of starch. This rise in sugar concentration not only enhances flavor but also contributes to the fruit's osmotic balance and texture changes.
2.
______ __________ ___ ___ ____ _______ ______ ____ ____ ______ ____ _______.
_________ __________ ____ _____ _________ ___.
____ _________ ________ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______.
_______ _______ _____ _______ ___ ________ ___ ________ ___ ___ __________.
__________ _____ __________ ________ ___ ___ ______ __________ ________ ___.
___ _____ ___ _____ ____.
_______ ________ _____ __________ ________.
_______ ____ _____ ______ _____ _____ ____ _____ ____ _______ ___ _________.
_______ _____ ____ ___ _______ _____ ______ __________ ___ ________ ________ ___.
___ _______ _____ _______ ____.
___ ____ ________ _________ ______ _______ __________ ____ _____ ______.
________ _______ ___ __________ ____ __________ ___ _______ ________ ______ __________.
____ _______ ______ _____ ________ _______ _________ _________ ________ ___.
_______ _________ ____ __________ ______ _____ _____ _______ ____ ____.
________ ___ ______ _________ _________ ______ __________ ____ _______ ______.
________ ___ __________ ___ _________ ___ ________.
______ _______ ________ _____ __________ _________ ___ ________ _____ ___ ___.
_______ ________ ______ ___ _________ __________ _______ _____ ______.
______ ______ _____ ___ ___ ________ __________ _____ ___ ________ __________.
_________ _____ _______ __________ ___.
_________ _____ _______ _____ _____ ______ _________ ________ ________ ____.
__________ ______ _____ _________ ____ _____ _______ ___ _________ ________ _________ ________.
_______ _____ ______ ____ _______ __________ _______ ____ __________ _______ ______ ____.
__________ _____ _________ ___ __________ ___ ___ _______ ___ _______.
_______ _______ __________ __________ _______ __________ ___ _____.
__________ _________ ______ _________ ______ _________ ____.
_____ _______ ___ ______ _______ __________ _____ ___ _________ ________.
_________ _________ __________ ___ _______ ______ ____ __________.
_______ _________ __________ ______ ______ __________ ________ _____ __________ _____ _______ _______.
_____ _______ _____ ______ __________ _________ ____ _____ _______ ________ _________.
________ __________ _________ _________ __________ _____.
_____ ____ ______ ___ ____.
_______ _____ _________ _____ ___ _______ ____ _______.
__________ _______ ______ _________ _________ ___ _________ ________ _________ _________ ______ _______.
________ _____ ________ ______ __________ _____ ______.
___ _________ _____ _______ __________ ______ ___ ______ ____ ______ _______.
_________ _______ _______ _______ ___ __________ _________ __________ _______.
_________ _________ __________ __________ __________ ___ __________ ____.
________ ___ _________ _______ _______ ____ _______ ________ _____ _______ __________.
_____ _________ ______ _______ ___ ________ ________ _____ _____ ________.
_______ _____ ______ ____ ____ _________ _______ __________ ____ __________ ________.
______ _______ ________ ______ __________ ________ ____ _________.
___ ______ ______ ________ ________.
_______ _______ ______ _____ _________ _________ _______ __________ _____ _______ _____ __________.
_______ _________ ______ _______.
- Solved Assignments
- Study Notes
- Guess Papers
- Question Papers
✓ Unlock up to 60% of the answer
✓ No payment required