title: Papaya fruit ripening: response to ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP).
abstract: Ripening affects the quality and nutritional contents of fleshy fruits, and papayas are climacteric fruits very susceptible to postharvest losses due to the fast softening caused by ethylene. This paper reports the changes in respiration, ethylene production, and pulp color and firmness, along with the contents of soluble sugars and major carotenoids, during ripening of 'Golden' papaya, an important Brazilian cultivar that has been exported to North American and European markets. The results obtained for nontreated and ethylene- or 1-MCP-treated papaya suggest that 1-MCP can decrease the quality of treated fruit and that even the use of ethylene for triggering or inducing homogeneous ripening can result in lower quality when compared to that of fruit allowed to ripe naturally.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química, Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular de Alimentos, Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, FCF, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes 580, Bloco 14, CEP 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fabi
authors.forename: Beatriz Rosana
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Cordenunsi
authors.forename: Gisela P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: de Mattos Barreto
authors.forename: Adriana Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Mercadante
authors.forename: Franco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lajolo
authors.forename: João Roberto
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Oliveira do Nascimento
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D029441:Carica; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis; D003521:Cyclopropanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D002338:Carotenoids; C036216:ethylene; C412563:1-methylcyclopropene