Maturity, Ripening and changes occurring during ripening

MATURITY
• It is the stage of full development of tissue of fruit and vegetables only after
which it will ripen normally. OR
It can also be defined as stage at which commodity has attained sufficient
physiological development
During the process of maturation the fruit receives a regular supply of food
material from the plant. When mature, the abscission or corky layer which forms at the
stern end stops this inflow. Afterwards, the fruit depend on its own reserves,
carbohydrates are dehydrated and sugars accumulate until the sugar acid ratio form. In
addition to this, typical flavour and characteristic colour also develop. it has been
determined that the stage of maturity at the time of picking influence the storage
life and quality of fruit, when picked immature like mango develop white patches
or air pockets during ripening and lacking in normal brix acid ratio or sugar acid
ratio, taste and flavour on the other hand if the fruits are harvested over mature
or full ripe they are easy susceptible to microbial and physiological spoilage and
their storage life is considerably reduce. Such fruits persist numerous problems during
handling, storage and transportation. Therefore, it is necessary or essential to pick up
the fruits or vegetables at correct stage of maturity to facilitate proper ripening,
distant transportation and maximum storage life.
Types of Maturity
Physiological maturity
It refers to the stage in the development of the fruits and vegetables when
maximum growth and maturation has occurred. It is usually associated with full ripening
in the fruits. The Physiological mature stage is followed by senescence.
It may be determined by measuring –
a. Rate of respiration
b. Production of ethylene
c. Chemical changes
Ex - Conversion of starch into sugar in fruits

Horticultural maturity
It is a developmental stage of the fruit on the tree, which will result in a
satisfactory product after harvest.
Commercial maturity
It is the state of plant organ required by a market. It commonly bears little
relation to Physiological maturity and may occur at any stage during development
stage.

Harvest Maturity
It may be defined in terms of Physiological maturity and horticultural maturity, it
is a stage, which will allow fruits / vegetables at its peak condition when it reaches to
the consumers and develop acceptable flavour or appearance and having adequate shelf
life.
Table 1: Criteria of maturity for harvesting fruits and vegetables

Fruit Physical Chemical

Mango Olive green colour with clear lenticels, Starch content, flesh colour
shoulder development size sp. gravity, days
from fruit set.
Banana Skin colour, drying of leaves of the plant, Pulp/peel ratio, starch content
brittleness of floral ends, angularity of the
fruit, and days from emergence of
inflorescence.
Citrus Colour break of the skin from green to orange, Sugar/acid ratio, TSS
size
Grapes Peel colour, easy separation of berries, TSS 18-12 Thompson seedless,
characteristic aroma 12-14 for Bangalore Blue,
14-16 for Anab-e-shahi
Apple Colour size Firmness as measured by
pressure tester
Papaya Yellow patch or streaks. Jelliness of the seed, seed
colour

Vegetables are harvested at harvest maturity stage, which will allow it to be at

its peak condition when it reaches the consumer, it should be at a maturity that allows the
produce to develop an acceptable flavour or appearance, it should be at a size required by
the market, and should have an adequate shelf life. Time taken from pollination to
horticultural maturity under warm condition, skin colour, shape, size and flavour and
abscission and firmness are used to assess the maturity of the produce.
Table 2: Time taken from pollination to horticultural maturity

S.No. Vegetables Time to harvest

Maturity (days)
1. Ridge gourd 5 -6
2. Squash 7-8
3. Brinjal 25 - 40
4. Okra 4-6
5. Pepper (green stage) 45 - 55
6. Pepper (red stage) 60 -70
7. Pumpkin (mature) 65 - 70
8. Tomato (mature green) 35 - 45
9. Tomato (red ripe stage) 45 - 60
10. Peas 30 - 35

Skin colour
Loss of green colour in citrus and red colour in tomato.
Shape, size and flavour
Sweet corn is harvested at immature stage, smaller cobs marketed as baby corn.
Okra and cow pea are harvested at mature stage (pre fiber stage). In chilli, bottle gourd,
bitter gourd, cluster beans maturity is related to their size. Cabbage head and cauliflower
curd are harvested before un pleasant flavour.
Abscission and firmness
Musk melon should be harvested at the formation of abscission layer. In
cabbage and lettuce should be harvested at firmness stage.
Factors affecting maturity
1. Temperature: Higher temperature gives early maturity.

 Gulabi (Pink) grapes mature in 100 days in Western India but only 82 days
are enough in the warmer Northern India.
 Lemon and guava takes less time to mature in summer than in winter.
2. Soil: Soil on which the fruit tree is grown affects the time of maturity. Grapes are
harvested earlier on light sandy soils than on heavy clays.
3. Size of planting material: This factor in propagated fruits affects fruit maturity.
e.g. In pineapple, the number of days taken from flowering to fruit maturity was more
by planting large suckers and slips than by smaller ones.
4. Closer spacing: Close spacing of hill bananas hastened maturity.

5. Pruning intensity: It enhanced the maturity of Flordasun and sharbati Peaches.

6. Girdling: Process of constricting the periphery of a stem which blocks the downward
translocation of CHO, hormones, etc. Beyond the constriction which rather accumulates
above it. In Grape vines it hastens maturity, reduces the green berries in unevenly maturity
cultivar and lowers the number of short berries. It is ineffective when done close to harvest.
CPA has an additive effect with girdling
MATURITY INDEX
Maturity index
The factors for determining the harvesting of fruits, vegetables and plantation
crops according to consumer’s purpose, type of commodity, etc and can be judged by
visual means (colour, size, shape), physical means (firmness, softness), chemical
analysis (sugar content, acid content), computation (heat unit and bloom to harvest
period), physiological method(respiration). These are indications by which the maturity
is judged. Various index are as Follows;
1. Visual indices

It is most convenient index. Certain signals on the plant or on the fruit can be used
as pointers. E.g. drying of top leaves in banana, yellowing of last leaf of Peduncle in
jackfruit. Flow of sap from cut fruit stalk of mango slows down if the harvest is done
after maturity but in immature fruits, exudation is more and comes with force in a jet
form. in papaya, the latex becomes almost watery. The flow gets reduced on maturity in
Sapota. In fruits like banana and Sapota, floral ends become more brittle and shed with a
gentle touch or even on their own. In Sapota, the brown scurf on the fruit skin starts
propping. In mango, lenticels become more prominent and the waxy bloom gradually
disappears. Grapes develop translucent bloom. Other changes like angularity in banana,
development of creamy wide space between custard apple segments and the flattening of
the eyes in pineapple and tubercles in litchi serve as reliable maturity indices.
2. Seed development

It can also be used as an index of fruit maturity, e.g. endocarp hardening for
stone and fiber development for dessert in mango.
1. Start of bud damage

Occasionally it can be used as an index of fruit maturity in mango.

2. Calendar date

For perennial fruit crops grown in seasonal climate which are more or less
uniform from year to year, calendar date for harvest is a reliable guide to commercial
 maturity. This approach relies on a reproducible date for the time of the flowering and a
relative constant growth period from flowering through to maturity. Time of flowering
is largely dependent on temperature, and the variation in number of days from flowering
to harvest can be calculated for some commodities by use of the degree- concept.
3. Heat units

Harvest date of newly introduced fruits in a widely varying climate can be

predicted with the help of heat unit. For each cultivar the heat requirement for fruit
growth and development can be calculated in terms of degree days: Maturity at higher
temperature is faster as the heat requirement is met earlier. This heat unit helps in
planning, planting, harvesting and factory programmes for crops such as corn, peas and
tomato for processing.
MATURITY OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Banana
The fruit is harvested when the ridges on the surface of skin change from
angularity to round i.e. after the attainment of 3% full stages. Dwarf banana are ready
for harvest within 11- 14 months after planting while tall cultivars takes about 14-16
months to harvest. Peel colour change from dark green to light green the remaining style
ends were dry, and brittle and fruits were less angular in shape.
Guava

TSS acid ratio, specific gravity and colour are determined the maturity in guava. For e.g.
Allahabad safeda - 35.8
Apple colour guava -
26.39 Chittidar guava -
28.13
Lucknow - 49 -34.25
Specific gravity - Less than I
Colour - Light green to yellow.

Pomegranate
Sugar percentage should be 12-16% and acid percentage 1.5—2.5%, variety
Ganesh harvest when seed colour becomes pink. In this stage TSS 12.5% and sugar
acid ratio 19.5%.
Bael
It takes one year for fruiting after flowering. It is the fruit which ripen after
one year of flowering. April start harvesting and may end it start in flowering.
Mango
 This can be judged when one or two mangoes ripen on the tree are fall on the
ground of their own accord. This process of fallen is known as tapaca specific gravity
1,01—1.02 and TSS 10-14%.
Table 3 Maturity indices of vegetable crops

Root, bulb and tuber crops Maturity indices

Radish and carrot Large enough and crispy
Potato, onion and garlic Tops beginning to dry and topple clown
Yams, bean and ginger Large enough
FRUIT VEGETABLES
Cowpea, snap bean, sweet pea, winged Well filled pods that snap readily
bean
Lima bean and pigeon pea Well filled pods that are beginning to lose their
greenness.
Okra Desirable size reached and the tips of which can be
snapped readily
Snake gourd Desirable size reached and thumbnail can still
penetrate flesh readily
Egg plant, bitter gourd, slicing Desirable size reached but still tender
cucumber
Tomato Seeds slipping when fruit is cut, or green colour
turning pink
Muskmelon Easily separated from vine with a slight twist leaving
clean cavity (full slip stage).
Watermelon Dull hollow sound when thumped
FLOWER VEGETABLES
Cauliflower Curd compact
Broccoli Bud cluster compact

FRUIT RIPENING
Fruit ripening is a genetically programmed stage of development overlapping
with senescence. The fruit is said to be ripe when it attains its full flavour and aroma and
other characteristics of the best fruit of that particular cultivar. The words “mature “and
“ripe” are essentially synonymous when used to describe these fruits that ripe on the
plants known as non-climacteric. However, in case of climacteric fruits a mature fruit
require period before attaining a desirable stage of edibility.
Table 1. List of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits

Climacteric Non-climacteric
Apple Carambola
Apricot Cherries
Avocado Citrus
Banana Grape
Ber Litchi
Cherimoya Loquat
Fig Olive
Guava Pineapple
Kiwifruit Pomegranate
Mango Melons Pear Peach Plum Strawberry
Persimmon Papaya Tomato
Sapota, Passion fruit

Changes during Fruit Ripening

1. Cell Wall Changes

Cell wall consists of pectic substances and cellulose as the main components
alongwith sma1amounts of hemicellulose and non-cellulosic polysaccharides. In cell
wall, the changes particularly in the middle lamella which is rich in pectic
polysaccharides are degraded and solubilised during ripening. During this softening,
there is a loss of neutral sugars (galactose and arabinose-major components of neutral
protein) and acidic pectin (rhamnogalacturonan) of all
cell wall. The major enzymes implicated in the softening of fruits are
pectine1asterase, polygalacturonase cellulase and - galactosidase.
2. Starch

During fruit ripening sugar levels within fruit tend to increase due to either
increased sugar importation from the plant or to the mobilization of starch reserves
within the fruit, depending on the fruit type and whether it is ripened on or off the
plant. With the advancement of maturity, the accumulated starch is hydrolysed into
sugars (glucose, fructose or sugars) which are known as a characteristic event for fruit
ripening. Further breakdown of sucrose into glucose and fructose is probably mediated
by the action of invertase. In vegetables like potato and peas on the other hand, the
higher sucrose content which remains high at fresh immature stage, converts into starch
with the approach of maturity.
3. Organic Acids

With the onset of fruit ripening there is downward trend in the levels of organic
acids. The decline in the content of organic acids during fruit ripening might be the
result of an increase in membrane permeability which allows acids to be stored in the
respiring cells, formation of salts of malic acid, reduction in the amounts of acid
translocated from the leaves, reduced ability of fruits to synthesize organic acids with
fruit maturity, translocation into sugars and dilution effect due to the increase in the
volume of fruit.
4. Colour

With the approach of maturation, the most obvious change which take place is
the degradation of chlorophyll and is accompanied by the synthesis of other pigments
usually either anthocyanins or carotenoids. They can give rise to a wide range of colours
(from red to blue). The chloroplasts in green immature fruit generally lose chlorophyll
on ripening and change into chromoplasts which contain carotenoid pigments.
Carotenoids are normally synthesized in green plant tissue a major product being 3-
carotene. However, in many fruits additional - carotene and lycopene is synthesized
during ripening.
5. Flavouring Compounds

Although fruit flavour depends on the complex interaction of sugars, organic

acids, phenolics and volatile compounds but the characteristic flavour of an individual
fruit or vegetable is derived from the production of specific flavouring volatile. These
compounds are mainly esters, alcohols, aldehydes, acids and ketones. At least 230 and
330 different compounds in apple and orange fruits have been indicated respectively.
6. Ascorbic Acid

L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is the naturally occurring ascorbic acid in fruits. A

reduced amount of ascorbic acid is noticed in pome, stone and berry fruits at the time of
harvest. An increase in ascorbic acid content with the increase in fruit growth has been
and the levels declined with the advancement of maturity and onset of fruit ripening in
pear, sweet potatoes, potato, asparagus and okra during the course of post harvest
handling.
7. Phenolics

The phenolic content of most fruits declines from high levels during early
growth to low levels when the fruit is considered to be physiologically mature and
thereafter susceptible to the induction of ripening.
8. Amino Acids and Proteins

Decrease in free amino acid which often reflects an increase in protein

synthesis. During senescence the level of free amino acids increases reflecting a
breakdown enzymes and decreased metabolic activity.
9. Ethylene Production and Respiration

Physiological events responsible to ripening process are as follows

(1) Ethylene production
 (2) Rise in respiration
Ethylene production
In climacteric fruits such as mango, banana, ethylene production increase and causes:
• Rise in respiration
• Rise in temperature
• Rise in activity of hydrolytic enzymes.

Ethylene is produced from an essential amino acid — methionine. Following the steps
as below:

SAM — Methionine S adenosyl methionine

(ACC synthase)

Amino cyclo
propane
(ACC
oxidase)

Carboxylic acid (ACC)

Ethylene

Perception by ethylene
receptor Signal
transduction
 Switching or ripening genes
Rise in respiration
Respiration is required for releasing energy and the substrate for synthesis of
several organic compounds required in the ripening process. During ripening in
climacteric fruits, there is rise in respiration called climacteric. The clirnacteric peak is
obtained very fast when temperature is relatively high. Respiration is a most
deteriorating process of the harvested fruits and vegetables which leads to the oxidative
breakdown of the complex materials (carbohydrates or acids) of cell into simpler
molecules (CO 2 and water) with the concurrent production of energy required by the
cell for the completion of chemical reactions. In brief, the process of respiration can be
summed up with the following reaction:
C 6 H 12 0 6 +6O2 6 CO 2 + 6 H20 + energy