ISHS Acta Horticulturae 138: Postharvest Physiology and Storage, XXI IHC
PIGMENT CHANGES IN THE PERICARP OF THE CHINESE GOOSEBERRY (ACTINDIA CHINENSIS) DURING RIPENING AND STORAGE |
| Author: | Dr. Jeana Gross |
| Abstract:
Pigment changes in the pericarp of the Chinese gooseberry (Actinidia chinensis) were followed during ripening and storage. In the pericarp, which retains its green colour at maturation, the level of the chlorophylls (a+b) decreased gradually from 28.3 μg/g to 20 μg/g f.wt. The level of total carotenoids decreased at the same rate from 8.3 μg/g in the early, hard-ripe fruits to 6.3 μg/g f. wt. in the fully ripe fruit. In the fruits which ripened after storage (at - 1°C, during 20 weeks) the disappearance of chlorophylls was more pronounced and the total carotenoids continued to decrease. The main carotenoid pattern was that of the four chloroplast carotenoids together with a fifth pigment, neochrome, whose level exceeded that of violaxanthin. Besides these five main pigments, an additional thirty pigments in either small or trace amounts produced a carotenoid pattern of unusual complexity. As in green leaves, all the xanthophylls were unesterified. During maturation the level of four of the main carotenoids followed the general decreasing trend of the total carotenoids.
De novo biosynthesis is blocked as no chromoplasts are formed.
The increasing levels of some pigments are the result of an increased turnover rate of | |
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-carotene.
