Avocado Fruit Development and Ripening Physiology

Bower, J.P.; Cutting, J. G. M.

doi:10.1002/9781118060834.ch7

Cited by 78 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 172 publications

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“…(162) During the browning process in the above mentioned physiological disorders, enzymatic oxidation of phenolic compounds to melanin, which is mediated by poly phenol oxidase (PPO), is responsible for the brown discoloration of the mesocarp. (123,128) The activity of PPO was noted to increase due to ethylene production during the ripening of avocados. (155,163) PPO activity takes place in presence of oxygen.…”

Section: Physiological Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Avocado Fruit Quality Management during the Postharvest Supply Chain

Bill¹,

Sivakumar²,

Thompson³

et al. 2014

Food Reviews International

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Avocados are a popular subtropical fruit of high economic importance and the European Union is the biggest importer of the bulk of the fruit coming from countries like South Africa, Chile and Israel. The fruit is highly nutritious being rich in vitamins A, B, C, minerals, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and antioxidants10%. The Guatemalan is native to the Guatemalan highland and has medium round fruit with an oil content of 8 to 15% and a leathery, pliable and non-granular ski n. The tree is less cold tolerant than the Mexican. The Mexican race thrives best in the subtropics and has the smallest fruit of the three races, with a thin skin and the highest oil of up to 30%. (2) The tree is most tolerant of cold growing conditions. Chen et al. (3) confirmed that the substantial genetic differentiation among the three ecological races corresponded to the defined horticultural races, but they also reported that the previously undetected genetic differentiation has two subpopulations from Central Mexico. Many cultivars are hybrids between the races. "Hass" (a Guatemalan x Mexican hybrid) is considered to be the most dominantly grown cultivar in the subtropics (4) and is recognised as the best overall quality avocado available. The fruit weighs between 140 to 400 g with medium to thick skin, leathery, coarse corky in texture and it turns purplish black when ripe. Other popular cultivars include "Fuerte" (a Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid), "Bacon" (a Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid), Pinkerton (a Guatemala hybrid), "Edranol"(a Guatemala hybrid), "Ryan" (a Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid", "Ettinger" (predominantly Mexican) and "Fuchs" (West Indian). (4) The fruit characteristics of the above mentioned cultivars are shown in Table 1. Physical properties of avocadoThe fruit (berry) is pear-shaped, oval or round with a short neck. Fruit length can vary from 7.7 cm to 33 cm and its width can be up to 15 cm. The skin color of the fruit can vary from yellowish green, dark green or reddish-purple, to dark purple (almost black). The edible portion of the fruit, that is, its flesh or pulp can be pale to bright yellow in color and the fruit flavor is described as a buttery or nut-like flavor. Its single seed is situated at the center of the fruit and 3 Table 1 Fruit characteristics of different avocado cultivars a a Source: Whiley et al. (4) the shape of the seed can be oval, round or oblong and generally the length of the seed is around 5 to 6.5 cm long, but may be smaller. The seed is covered by a thin brown seed coat that adheres to the seed cavity. (4) Avocado production and trade European markets. In the EU, the Netherlands and France as well as the UK are the major avocado importing countries. Although the "Fuerte" cultivar displays a green skin color after ripening and is well known in the European markets, the "Hass" cultivar currently dominates the international trade market due to its longer shelf life, large fruit size and its higher consumer acceptance due to its rich nut-like flavor. (11,12) "Hass" is the dominant and m...

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Section: Physiological Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soft ripe fruit has a shelf life of only 3 days. (128) Optimum ripening conditions may also vary with cultivars and harvest season. For example Yahia (94) reported that for the cultivar …”

Section: Fruit Ripeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avocado Fruit Quality Management during the Postharvest Supply Chain

Bill¹,

Sivakumar²,

Thompson³

et al. 2014

Food Reviews International

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“…In addition to this fruit physiology complexity, environmental conditions and cultural practices contribute to the observed variable ripening [45,46]. Within a location, differences in spread of ripening within a batch have been reported [12].…”

Section: Avocado Ripening Heterogeneity Physiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with postharvest ripening heterogeneity of ‘Hass’ avocados (Persea americanaMill)

Hernández¹,

Fuentealba²,

Olaeta³

et al. 2016

Fruits

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-Introduction. 'Hass' is the main avocado cultivar commercialized worldwide. The extended flowering period, very low percentage of fruit set and inability to ripen on the tree renders the fruit heterogeneous and unpredictable during postharvest management. The "triggered" and "ready-to-eat" growing markets for 'Hass' avocados are affected by the variable postharvest ripening or ripening heterogeneity which creates severe logistical problems for marketers and inconsistent quality delivery to consumers. Synthesis. The dry matter content, the current avocado harvest index that correlates very well with oil content, has been extensively used to harvest 'Hass' avocados to comply with the minimum standards to guarantee consumer satisfaction. However, previous work and empirical experience demonstrate that dry matter does not correlate on a fruit-to-fruit basis with time to reach edible ripeness. Thus, avocados of very different ages are harvested from individual trees, resulting in heterogeneous postharvest ripening of fruit within a specific batch. Several preharvest factors related to environmental and growing conditions and crop management as well as postharvest technology strategies influence the observed variability of postharvest ripening. Conclusion. Modern approaches based on studying the composition of individual fruits displaying contrasting postharvest ripening behavior, combined with non-destructive phenotyping techniques, seem to offer practical solutions for the fresh supply chain of avocados to sort fruit based on their ripening capacity.Keywords: avocado / Persea americana / fruit quality / ripening stage / preharvest management / secondary metabolites / non-destructive analysis Résumé -Facteurs associés à l'hétérogénéité du mûrissement post-récolte des avocats (Persea americana Mill cv. Hass). Introduction. Le 'Hass' est la principale variété d'avocat commercialisée dans le monde. Sa période de floraison prolongée, son très faible pourcentage de nouaison et son incapacité à mûrir sur l'arbre en font un fruit hétéro-gène et imprévisible à gérer après récolte. Le marché croissant des avocats 'Hass' « déclenchés » et « prêts-à-manger » est affecté par la variabilité ou l'hétérogénéité du mûrissement post-récolte, ce qui crée de sérieux problèmes logistiques aux spécialistes du marketing et offre une prestation de qualité inégale aux consommateurs. Synthèse. La teneur en matière sèche, l'actuel indice de récolte des avocats qui correspond parfaitement à la teneur en huile du fruit, a été largement utilisé pour récolter les avocats 'Hass' en conformité avec les normes minimales de garantie de satisfaction des consommateurs. Toutefois, des travaux antérieurs et l'expérience empirique démontrent que la matière sèche ne correspond pas à un paramètre sur lequel se baser d'un fruit à l'autre pour estimer la durée jusqu'au fruit mûr prêt à manger. Ainsi, pour des fruits d'âge très différents récoltés arbre par arbre, il en résulte une hétérogénéité du mûrisse-ment des fruits après récolte dans chaque lo...

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“…This compound, in the presence of boric acid (H 3 BO 3 ), could be titrated with a solution of hydrochloric acid (HCl) of known normality. In the final calculation, the the potential for extending storage life (BOWER; CUTTING, 1988). There are no published data on moisture in cubiu fruits at different ripening stages.…”

Section: Proteinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicochemical changes in cubiu fruits (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) at different ripening stages

Júnior

Andrade

2012

Food Sci. Technol

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Cubiu shrubs (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) have drawn the attention of researchers for their biological versatility (preferential heliophilous or facultative ombrophilous shrubs), their capacity to grow in upland or lowland areas, and the good technological quality of their fruits for the food industry. The aim of this study was to verify physicochemical changes in cubiu fruits during maturation. The fruits were harvested from the experimental station of olericulture of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Brazil. The analyses were performed in whole cubiu fruits (peel, pulp, and placenta) at four traditional ripening stages (green, turning, ripe, and fully ripe) for the determination of weight, moisture, total solids, total carotenoids, proteins, lipids, and ash. Cubiu fruits showed large weight variation, with amodal distribution. The ripe stage was critical to maintain moisture, and from that stage on, water loss became evident. The lipids increased steadily over the four ripening stages, maintaining, however, insignificant calorie content. Total carotenoids, proteins, and ash reached the maximum level at the fully ripe stage. With the exception of weight and moisture, all physicochemical changes exhibited the same general behavior, i.e. they increased as the fruits ripened at the four investigated stages.

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Avocado Fruit Development and Ripening Physiology

Cited by 78 publications

References 172 publications

Avocado Fruit Quality Management during the Postharvest Supply Chain

Avocado Fruit Quality Management during the Postharvest Supply Chain

Factors associated with postharvest ripening heterogeneity of ‘Hass’ avocados (Persea americanaMill)

Physicochemical changes in cubiu fruits (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) at different ripening stages

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