Mango is a tropical plant cultivated mainly for its soft sweet fruit. The ripening of mango, as with all fruits, is mainly due to modifications of the cell walls of the tissues. This modification is caused by enzymatic hydrolysis of carbohydrate polymers. Evidence suggests that in mango, levels of β-galactosidase increase significantly as ripening proceeds, suggesting that it plays a pivotal role in this softening process. One possible mechanism that may explain the ripening is the solubilisation of pectin in the cell walls via β-galactosidases, and this may be particularly evident in cases of damaged or bruised fruit. Therefore β-galactosidase activity may play a significant role in the solubilisation of cell wall fibre during the ripening of mango, and this may have a significant effect of the spoilage and taste of the fruit. The softening of the fruit is pivotal to the taste and texture of the fruit, but too much softening can have a detrimental effect. Understanding the ripening process is therefore important from a commercial perspective.
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