Developmental Changes During Strawberry Fruit Ripening and Physico-Chemical Changes During Postharvest Storage

Ripening is defined by a set of physico-chemical changes characteristic of each fruit. These usually involve transitions in colour arising from the degradation of existing pigments and the synthesis of new and often intensely coloured pigments, texture changes resulting in tissue softening, and the production of highly distinctive flavours and aromas which affect the palatability of the fruit. Changes involving senescence occur throughout development and are most obvious in the later stages as the fleshy tissues disintegrate, leaving the seeds to survive. Ripening is thus part of a continuous developmental process in which several physiological phases may overlap (Moing et al., 2001). The cultivated strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa, is a regular part of the diets of millions of people. Known for its delicate flavour and rich in vitamin content, strawberry are cultivated in all arable regions of the globe from the Arctic to the Tropics. Since strawberries are such a widely grown commodity, much research has been conducted on producing and maintaining these standards of fruit quality. Considerable effort has been expended on maximizing fruit growth in the field and increasing postharvest fruit quality. An excellent review has been published by Manning, 1993. In recent years, recombinant DNA technology has entered the arena of research on genes and enzymes involved in fruit ripening. Gene cloning and heterologous gene expression have proven to be powerful tools to elucidate the physico-chemical changes during fruit development and decisive progress has been achieved.