Fruit, ripening, cell wall

Ethylene is a colorless, flammable gas with a boiling point of-104 °C. More than 22 billion kilograms of ethylene are produced annually in the United States, making it one of the top five industrial chemicals. The manufacture of plastics (polyethylene is the most common example) consumes 75% of this output, and much of the rest is used to make antifreeze. Because ethylene stimulates the breakdown of cell walls. It Is used commercially to hasten the ripening of fruit, particularly bananas. 

Changes in molecular weight and carbohydrate composition of cell wall polyuronide and hemicellulose during ripening in strawberry fruit... 

Gross, K.C., Sams, C.E. (1984). Changes in cell wall neutral sugar composition during fruit ripening a species survey. Phytochemistry 23,2457-2461. 

Knee, M., Bartley, I.M. (1981). Composition and metabolism of cell wall polysaccharides in ripening fruits. In Friend, J., Rhodes , M.J.C. (eds.). Recent advances in the biochemistry of fruits and vegetables. Academic Press, New York, 133-148. 

Several alkenes occur naturally in living organisms. Some of these alkenes act as hormones and control biological functions. Plants produce ethene as a hormone to stimulate flower and seed production and to ripen fruits. Ethene stimulates enzymes in the plants to convert starch and acids of unripe fruit into sugars. The enzymes also soften fruit by breaking down pectin in cell walls. 

XIII. Cell-Wall and Fruit Ripening 1. Introduction... 

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