Cell Wall Enzymatic Activity Control: A Reliable Technique in the Fruit Ripening Process

Abstract

The softening and structural changes that occur during fruit ripening are characteristic of specific species and can be attributed primarily to cell wall composition and cell swelling. Cell wall modifications are thought to result in changes in stiffness and texture, but the nature and extent of changes that occur during maturation vary widely. While some cell wall changes associated with ripening, such as depolymerization of matrix glycans, appear to be universal, other changes are highly variable in degree or present in different fruit types. However, the common point in all species is the involvement of the activities of enzymes linked to maturation in all these modifications, in particular the pectinolytic enzymes, namely polygalacturonase (PG), β-galactosidase (β-Gal) and pectin methyl esterase (SME). For good management of these changes, which have considerable consequences on the quality of fruits and their fate in post-harvest, the control of the activities of pectinolytic enzymes seems essential, which is what we propose to study in this chapter.