CHANGES IN FREE AMINO-ACID CONTENTS OF TOMATO FRUITS DURING RIPENING, ESPECIALLY CHANGES IN GLUTAMINE

The changes in free amino acid contents during ripening of normal tomato fruits and mutant, ripening inhibitor (rin), were analyzed. In normal tomato, glutamine was most abundant before ripening and tended to decrease as the fruits ripened. Also decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid and increase in glutamic acid were observed simultaneously. In case of ripening mutant (rin), glutamine was most abundant before ripening, too. However, because of its ripening process was strongly inhibited genetically, the changes in glutamic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamine were slower than normal ones. From these results, it was found that glutamine was a predominant free amino acid before ripening. A tendency of decrease in glutamine during ripening was also observed.