Using cDNA microarrays, a comprehensive investigation of gene expression was carried out in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) fruit to understand the flow of events associated with its maturation and non-climacteric ripening. We detected key processes and novel genes not previously associated with fruit development and ripening, related to vascular development, oxidative stress, and auxin respon...

Fleshy fruits are an essential part of the human diet providing vital vitamins, minerals and other health-promoting compounds. The texture of the ripe fruit has a significant effect on quality and influences consumer acceptance, shelf-life, resistance, and transportability. The development of rational approaches to improve texture and shelf-life depend on understanding the biological basis of f...

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...

High temperature is one of the most important environmental factors that affect the successful cultivation of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh). The expression of genes related with anthocyanin synthesis and sugar accumulation by high temperature treatment was investigated in the fruits of “Fuji” apple at different developmental stages in different temperature conditions through realtime PCR. In ...

We report ripening of metal particles anchored on pyramid-shaped heterostructure nanocrystals. The 'intra-particle' ripening results in a large metal tip at one corner with the other three tips vanishing. Investigation reveals that the ripening and core/shell formation affects photocatalytic activities via the Fermi level change.

Ethylene regulates a myriad physiological and biochemical processes in ripening fruits and is accepted as the ripening hormone for the climacteric fruits. However, its effects on metabolome and resulting fruit quality are not yet fully understood, particularly when some of the ripening-associated biochemical changes are independent of ethylene action. We have generated a homozygous transgenic t...

Protein extracts were obtained from climacteric fruits (pear, tomato) and nonclimacteric fruits (blueberry) during various stages of ripening. The use of a gel electrophoresis technique revealed a consistent reinforcement in indoleacetic acid oxidase but not in peroxidase isozymes during ripening. The significance of the results is discussed in relation to the resistance of fruits to ripening a...

Lactobacillus helveticus, a ubiquitous bacterial species in natural whey cultures (NWCs) used for Swiss Gruyère cheese production, is considered to have crucial functions for cheese ripening such as enhancing proteolysis. We tracked the diversity and abundance of L. helveticus strains during 6 months of ripening in eight Swiss Gruyère-type cheeses using a culture-independent typing method. The ...

Commercial regulation of ripening is currently achieved through early harvest, by controlling the postharvest storage atmosphere and genetic selection for slow or late ripening varieties. Although these approaches are often effective, they are not universally applicable and often result in acceptable, but poor quality, products. With increased understanding of the molecular biology underlying r...

We carried out density functional theory calculations to investigate the ripening of Pd clusters on CeO2(111). Starting from stable Pd n clusters (n = 1-21), we compared how these clusters can grow through Ostwald ripening and coalescence. As Pd atoms have mobility higher than that of Pd n clusters on the CeO2(111) surface, Ostwald ripening is predicted to be the dominant sintering mechanism. P...