Role of Ethylene In Fruits

Ethylene can be produced by living plant tissue at certain times. Ethylene is also a gas in plant life can be classified as a hormone that is active in the ripening process. Known as a hormone because it meets the criteria which are automobile plant hormones (easy to move) in plant tissue and is an organic compound. Ethylene can cause significant changes in the process of growth and maturation of agricultural products.

These compounds can initiate the process klimaterik addition, can also accelerate the klimaterik. Ethylene is unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds are gaseous at room temperature. Ethylene can be produced by living plant tissue at certain times. These compounds can cause significant changes in the process of growth and maturation of agricultural products. Ethylene is a gas that is in the life of the plant can be classified as a hormone that is active in the ripening process.

Ethylene is called hormone because it can meet the criteria as a plant hormone, is a car (easy to move) in plant tissue, and an organic compound. Ethylene can start the process klimaterik addition, can also accelerate the klimaterik, as shown in Figure 2.2. In these pictures that the avocado fruit stored in normal air will mature after 11 days. But if fruits are stored in air containing 10 ppm ethylene for 24 hours, then the fruit will be ripe for 6 days of storage.

Figure 17. Effect of ethylene on the timing of the avocado fruit klimaterik

In non klimaterik fruits, the addition of ethylene in high concentrations will cause klimaterik on these fruits. As shown in Figure 2.3.

Figure 18. Effect of the addition of ethylene to the pattern of respiration of citrus fruits.

Besides important role in the process of fruit ripening, ethylene also have an effect on other plant systems. In the shrinkage system, inhibits the growth speed, accelerate yellowing of the leaves and cause wilting. At the root system, ethylene can cause terpilinnya roots, inhibits the growth speed multiply the growth of root hairs and quickly leads to wilting.

Activity ethylene in ripening fruit will decrease with decreasing temperature storage space. The formation of ethylene in the plant tissue can be stimulated by mechanical damage and infection, which will accelerate the maturation. The use of radioactive rays can induce the formation of ethylene when administered at the time of the pre-klimaterik. But when given at the time klimaterik use of radioactive rays can inhibit the production of ethylene.

Physical and Chemical Changes During Ripening
The changes during ripening fruit can be seen in terms of color, hardness (texture), flavor and flavor, which shows the change of the composition. Color change can be caused by the degradation process as well as the synthesis of pigments contained in fruits. Softening of the fruit can be caused by the breakdown of protopektin be pectin, as well as the hydrolysis of starch or fat, and possibly also lignin.

Maturation will lead to increased levels of simple sugars to provide sweet taste, decreased levels of organic acids and phenolic compounds to reduce acidic and tart taste, as well as increased production of volatile substances to give the characteristic flavor of fruit.

The cell turgor
Cell turgor pressure is constantly changing during the process of development and maturation. These changes are generally caused due to cell wall composition changes. These changes affect the hardness of the fruit, when ripe fruit. Pengempu fruit due to the reduced amount of water-insoluble protopektin and the increasing number of water-soluble pectin, as shown in Table 4.

Table 4. The relationship between hardness and the amount protopektin apples and pectin