Pectin changes during the development and ripening of eggplant fruits
1993
Esteban, R.M. | Lopez-Andreu, F.J. | Martin-Cabrejas, M.A. | Molla, E.
In developing and ripening eggplant fruits (Semi-round striped, Purple long and Black round), the main pectin fractions, water-, ammonium oxalate-, and alkali-soluble, were estimated up to maturity and ripening. The determinations were made using the m-hydroxydiphenyl assay, which was automated resulting in a rapid and sensitive method to quantitatively determine the pectic substances. For all cultivars studied, total pectic polysaccharides decreased during the initial growth period and after 15 days showed a slightly increasing trend. The concentration of water-soluble pectic substances decreased until 28 days, as did the oxalate-soluble fraction. These two pectin fractions increased during the development period between 28 and 42 days while the alkali-soluble (protopectin) fraction decreased. The increase of protopectin before physiological maturity, and its subsequent decrease with fruit ripening and softening, indicated the involvement of this fraction in the texture maintenance of eggplant fruits.
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