Fruits can be divided into two groups according to the regulatory mechanisms underlying their ripening process. Climacteric fruit, such as tomato, apple, pear, and melon are characterized by a ripening-associated increase in respiration and in ethylene production, the phytohormone ethylene being the major trigger and coordinator of the ripening process. By contrast, nonclimacteric fruits, such ...

Although the alternative oxidase (AOX) has been proposed to play a role in fruit development, the function of AOX in fruit ripening is unclear. To gain further insight into the role of AOX in tomato fruit ripening, transgenic tomato plants 35S-AOX1a and 35S-AOX-RNAi were generated. Tomato plants with reduced LeAOX levels exhibited retarded ripening; reduced carotenoids, respiration, and ethylen...

Climacteric and non-climacteric fruits have traditionally been viewed as representing two distinct programmes of ripening associated with differential respiration and ethylene hormone effects. In climacteric fruits, such as tomato and banana, the ripening process is marked by increased respiration and is induced and co-ordinated by ethylene, while in non-climacteric fruits, such as strawberry a...

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in fruit development and ripening. Here, three NCED genes encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED, a key enzyme in the ABA biosynthetic pathway) and three CYP707A genes encoding ABA 8'-hydroxylase (a key enzyme in the oxidative catabolism of ABA) were identified in tomato fruit by tobacco rattle virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Quantitati...

BACKGROUND ABA-, stress- and ripening-induced (ASR) proteins have been reported to act as a downstream component involved in ABA signal transduction. Although much attention has been paid to the roles of ASR in plant development and stress responses, the mechanisms by which ABA regulate fruit ripening at the molecular level are not fully understood. In the present work, a strawberry ASR gene wa...

The fruit ripening developmental program is specific to plants bearing fleshy fruits and dramatically changes fruit characteristics, including color, aroma, and texture. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) MADS box transcription factor RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), one of the earliest acting ripening regulators, is required for both ethylene-dependent and -independent ripening regulatory pathways. Re...

α-Mannosidase (α-Man), a fruit ripening-specific N-glycan processing enzyme, is involved in ripening-associated fruit softening process. However, the regulation of fruit-ripening specific expression of α-Man is not well understood. We have identified and functionally characterized the promoter of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) α-Man to provide molecular insights into its transcriptional regulati...

A chemometric study was carried out in order to typify cider apples according to their degree of ripening. Several chemical variables (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and pectins) were analyzed using HPLC and FIA methods. Univariate data treatment was not sufficient to allow the apple varieties to be differentiated according to their stage of ripening. Two linear combinations o...

Ethylene is required for climacteric fruit ripening. Inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis genes, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase, prevents or delays ripening, but it is not known how these genes are modulated during normal development. LeHB-1, a previously uncharacterized tomato homeobox protein, was shown by gel retardation assay to interact with the promoter of...

The aim of the study was to compare the minerals and lactic acid profile of Cheddar cheese prepared from cow and buffalo milk. Milks standardized at 4% fat level were used to prepare Cheddar cheese. The cheese was prepared and stored for 120 days ripening at 4°C. Chemical composition and minerals contents were determined at one month intervals during ripening. Lactic acid concentration was esti...