Fruit Ripening Physiology, Signalling and Genomics

Fruit ripening is an important aspect of fruit production. The timing of it affects supply chains and buying behaviour, and for consumers ripeness not only affects perceptions of health but has nutritional effects too. Ripeness is closely related to spoilage which has a major financial impact on agricultural industries. Currently there are fast moving developments in knowledge of the factors affecting fruit ripeness, and this up-to-date monograph seeks to draw together the disparate research in this area. The aim of the book is to produce a comprehensive account covering almost every area related to fruit ripening including the latest molecular mechanisms regulating fruit ripening, its impact on human nutrition and emerging research and technologies.

Section 1: Physiology and metabolism

Chapter 1: Climacteric and non-climacteric ripening

Chapter 2: Primary metabolism

Chapter 3: The chloroplast to chromoplast transition

Chapter 4: Cell wall metabolism and softening during ripening

Chapter 5: Aroma volatiles

Chapter 6: Colour and pigments

Chapter 7: Cuticle and waxes

Section 2: Fruit nutritional quality

Chapter 8: Beneficial effects on human health

Chapter 9: Vitamines

Chapter 10: Polyphenolics

Section 3. Signaling and hormonal control of fruit ripening

Chapter 11: Ethylene biosynthesis

Chapter 12: Ethylene perception and signaling in ripening fruit

Chapter 13: Other signals and cross talks during ripening at the transcriptional and post transcriptional levels

Section 4: Genetic and epigenetic control of fruit ripening

Chapter 14: Genetics control of fruit ripening and biodiversity

Chapter 15: Ripening mutants

Chapter 16: Biotechnology of fruit quality

Chapter 17: Epigenetic control of fruit ripening

Chapter 18: Genomics and metagenomics of fruit ripening: towards an integrative approach

Section 5: Conclusions and perspectives