Biochemical changes in some fruits at different ripening stages

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 19 - 28
• Main Authors: Sharaf, A., Ahmed, F.A., El-Saadany, S.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1989; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Food industries; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ripening; Mango; Apricot; Chemical composition; Organoleptic properties
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/0308-8146(89)90147-7

Soluble and insoluble proteins were decreased gradually in apricot whereas in mango the soluble protein increased and insoluble protein decreased during ripening. Fourteen amino acids could be detected in apricot and twelve in mango, and the percentage of each varied according to the degree of ripening. Total and soluble carbohydrate were increased gradually in both apricot and mango fruits. Glucose, fructose and sucrose were determined in both fruits at all ripening stages, while xylose was found only in apricot. Certain volatile components were separated and identified in apricot, including aromatic aldehydes, esters, alcohols and ketones, while in mango thirty volatile components were identified, including cis-ocimene, myrcene, limonene, esters, aldehydes and terpenes. Mango juice contained palmitic and oleic acids as major constituent fatty acids while the short chain fatty acids represented only 5% at the green mature stage and were decreased at other ripening stages. In apricot juice, myristic and oleic acids were the most abundant fatty acids, while the saturated short chain fatty acids comprised only 7% of the total fatty acids and decreased at the ripe and overripe stages.