What exactly are the chemical/biological changes that occur when a fruit ripens? And what’s different between it ripening on the counter (e.g.avocado) vs on a plant (e.g. green to red tomatoes)
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Some examples of the chemical/biological changes of ripening are:
– Sugar is accumulated in the fruit. For some fruits like plantains and bannas, they have a lot of starch when unripe but will taste sweeter when ripe
– Fruit color changes. The color helps attract animals to find and eat the fruit to spread fully developed seeds
– More pleasant flavors/smells accumulate while not pleasant flavors/smells are broken down. If you ever had an unripe persimmon, there is a horrible astringent taste that feels like your mouth is super dry.
– Pectin breaks down, making the fruit softer.
Fruits that can ripen after picking are called climacteric fruits. These fruits ripen in the presence of ethylene gas released by the fruit or artificially provided. This makes them easier to control ripening before they reach the supermarket. However, ripening on the vine does help add more sweetness/flavor.
The purpose of a fruit is usually to appeal to animals, which will eat the fruit and poop out the seeds, spreading the seeds far away from the parent plant.
When fruits aren’t yet ripe, they are usually composed mostly of starch, which has lots of stored energy but isn’t tasty or digestible by animals. When the seeds are mature and ready to be dispersed, the starch in the fruit is converted into sugar, which is appealing to animals. Often the fruit will change color to signal to animals that it is ready to eat. Lots of sugar in the fruit makes it susceptible to mold and bacteria, which is usually what causes fruit to spoil. Having immature fruits made out of starch prevents mold and bacteria growth from killing the fruit, and also keeps the fruit from being eaten before the seeds are ready.
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