Question

A fruit is green when unripe but becomes beautifully coloured when ripe. How does this change occur?What is the importance of this change?

Answer 1

The colour change and ripening is caused by the plant hormone, ethylene. The chlorophyll is broken down, thus the green colour is lost. Other pigments such as carotenoids (which produce yellow or orange colours) and anthocyanins (which produce red, purple and blue colours), which would have been masked by the chlorophyll are now visible, thus resulting in the colour change. The importance of this change is that it encourages seed dispersal by fruit-eating animals.