Papaya fruit ripening: response to ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP).
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.
Fabi
João Paulo
JP
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.
Cordenunsi
Beatriz Rosana
BR
de Mattos Barreto
Gisela P
GP
Mercadante
Adriana Z
AZ
Lajolo
Franco M
FM
Oliveira do Nascimento
João Roberto
JR
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*
D002241:Carbohydrates; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D002338:Carotenoids; C036216:ethylene; C412563:1-methylcyclopropene