Respiration rate, ethylene production and biochemical changes during fruit development and maturation of jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk)

jujube fruits (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk) of cv Zaytoni were harvested from fruit set until maturity to study some physiological and biochemical changes. jujube fruit cv Zaytoni displayed a double-sigmoid growth curve with a very short second stage (2 weeks). Changes in respiration rate and ethylene production during fruit development were typical of climacteric fruits, the peak of ethylene production coinciding with the climacteric rise in respiration. As for chemical constituents, reducing sugars were dominant and sucrose was absent in ripe fruit. Total soluble solid content was low during the early stages of growth, then increased to a peak in ripe fruit. Titratable acidity was low initially, but increased to a peak in physiologically mature fruit and declined rapidly in ripe fruit. The pattern of changes in protein content was typical of that characterising climacteric fruits. (C) 2002 Society of Chemical Industry.