A Critical Review on Physiological Changes during Growth Maturation and Ripening of Citrus Fruits
Neelam Sachan
Department of Food Technology, Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur-208002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Vivek Kumar *
Department of Food Technology, Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur-208002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Citrus is one of the major fruit crops in the world and widely recognized by their nutritional, organoleptic and health-related benefits of fresh fruit. The genetic diversity among the genus and independent changes in peel and pulp, make the definition of standard maturity indexes of fruit quality. Commercial maturity indexes in the citrus industry are usually based on peel coloration, soluble solids, pH but their relevance may differ among varieties and the specific requirements of the markets. Citrus fruits are excellent source of many phytochemical, including ascorbic acid, antioxidant, tannin, etc., which greatly contribute to the health-related benefits of citrus fruits. Criteria and definition of the main maturity indexes for citrus fruit worldwide are described, as well as changes during fruit maturation in key components affecting organoleptic and nutritional properties. Citrus fruits were analyzed at different maturity stages. This review is aimed to characterize the physiological maturity of the fruit across the different developmental stage which has not been well reported in literature till now.
Keywords: Citrus fruits, physiological, growth, maturation, ripening