Discover How Fruits Continue to Ripen After Being Picked

We’ve all had the experience of buying fruit that’s not quite ripe, only to find it’s perfectly ready to eat a few days later. This is because many fruits continue to ripen after being picked due to the presence of ethylene, a plant hormone. Today, we’re going to delve into this fascinating process.

The Science of Climacteric Fruits: understanding the Ripening Process

What are Climacteric Fruits ?

Climacteric fruits are those that can ripen after being harvested due to their ability to absorb ethylene through their skin. Examples include apple, banana, avocado, tomato, peach, apricot, and honeydew melon.

How Does Ethylene Work ?

Ethylene triggers changes in texture, color, aroma and sugar concentration in climacteric fruits. However, increasing maturation does not necessarily mean an increase in sweetness. For instance, while bananas or avocados may become more mature post-harvest, they may not necessarily become sweeter.

Having explored what climacteric fruits are and how they ripen post-harvest, let’s now look at how to identify these fruits and the best practices for storing them.

Identification and Preservation: climacteric vs Non-Climacteric Fruits

Distinguishing Climacteric from Non-Climacteric Fruits

While climacteric fruits, like apples and peaches continue to ripen by breathing and producing ethylene even after harvesting; non-climacteric fruits, such as lemon, cherry, cucumber or grape cease to ripen once picked.

The Importance of Proper Storage

Storage methods differ between climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. Proper storage not only extends the shelf life of these fruits, but also ensures their optimal ripeness and flavor.

Next, we dive deeper into the role of ethylene in fruit ripening, post-harvest.

The Role of Ethylene in Fruit Ripening After Harvest

Ethylene: a Natural Ripening Agent

Ethylene is a plant hormone that induces ripening in climacteric fruits. It affects softness, color change, aroma enhancement and sugar concentration.

The Impact of Ethylene Concentration on Ripening Speed

Interestingly, the exposure to higher concentrations of ethylene can accelerate the ripening process. This is why placing unripe fruit near ripe ones often leads to quicker maturation.

Armed with this knowledge about ethylene’s role, let us now explore practical techniques you can employ to expedite your summer fruits’ ripening process.

Practical Techniques to Accelerate Your Summer Fruits’ Ripening

Use a Brown Paper Bag for Faster Ripening

Placing unripe fruit in a brown paper bag helps concentrate the ethylene gas they produce, speeding up ripening.

Now that you know how to speed up the process when needed, let’s focus on how to keep climacteric fruits at their best once they have reached optimum maturity.

Best Tips for Keeping Climacteric Fruits at Optimum Maturity

Control Temperature and Humidity for Longer Shelf Life

Controlling temperature and humidity effectively prolongs the life of mature climacteric fruits by slowing down ethylene production.

Lastly, we reveal an old wives’ tale that holds true – ripening fruits with an apple.

The Old Wives’ Tale: ripening Fruits with an Apple

Ripen Fruit Faster With An Apple

Apples, being climacteric fruits, produce ethylene gas. Therefore, placing an apple in a bag with other unripe fruits will speed up their ripening process.

From identifying and understanding the science behind climacteric and non-climacteric fruits to learning about ethylene’s role in fruit ripening post-harvest, we’ve covered it all. We hope these insights help you select, store and enjoy your favorite fruits at their peak of perfection !