Question

collect information on the process of artificial ripening of fruits markets whether it is harmful or useful ?

Answer 1

If you've ever had a fruit before it ripens, you'll never forget the sour, unpleasant taste. So why are fruits unripe in the first place, and why does it ripen later on? Let's look beneath the skin.

Why fruits are raw

Botanists describe a fruit as a fleshy vessel in which a plant's seeds grow. In plants like cotton or beans, the fruit is very thin and dry. When the seeds have formed fully, the fruit dries up till it cracks open, and the seeds are spread in the wind.

Other fruits like mangoes and apples have thick, fleshy fruits. While the seeds are still forming, the fruit is full of acid which makes it sour. This sourness prevents birds, monkeys and insects from eating the fruit. When the seeds become ready, the fruit ripens.

Chemistry of ripening

During ripening, the starch in the fruit breaks down to form sugar. The fruit skin changes colour, going from green to a bright red (apples & tomatoes) or yellow (mangoes, bananas and lemons). These changes attract birds and animals, who love to eat the sweet flesh. They throw away the seeds, which fall on the ground and germinate.

The ripening of a fruit depends on the season. For example, we get mangoes only in summer and apples only in winter. The plant can detect changes in season by changes in temperature and humidity. It then produces ethylene which spreads across the plant. When ethylene reaches the fruit, it sends a signal to all the cells in the fruit. The cells then make enzymes that break starch into sugar. The cells in the skin start making pigments which give the fruit its colour.

When a fruit ripens, it still has a lot of acid. But there is so much sugar in it, that it masks the sour taste of the acid!

Artificial ripening

Ripe fruits cannot be stored and transported for a long time. Hence farmers in fruit orchards pluck the fruits raw. The natural ethylene in the fruits makes them ripen, so that they are ready to eat by the time you buy them.

Sometimes the fruits are not yet ripe when they are ready to be sold. Hence they have to be artificially ripened. Fruits are kept in hay-lined wooden boxes called crates. These crates are stacked on shelves and a wood fire is lit below them. The smoke contains ethylene and acetylenes gases, which induce ripening.

Sometimes, fruits are placed in a room in which ethylene gas or acetylene gas is introduced. In another method, calcium carbide (CaC2) is applied over fruits. It reacts with moisture to form acetylene.

While artificial ripening is fast, it doesn't quite give the fruit the flavour it gets when naturally ripened. So why not buy organic fruit when you can, and enjoy its taste in full!

Answer 2

Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, a fruit ... They allow many fruits to be picked prior to full ripening, which is useful, since ... Calcium carbide is also used in some countries for artificially ripening fruit. ... Iodine (I) can be used to determine whether fruit is ripening or rotting by ...