Changes in Polyamines and Ethylene during the Development and Ripening of Eggplant Fruits (Solanum melongená)

SILVIA DEL C. RODRÍGUEZ,; BEATRIZ LÓPEZ; ALICIA RAQUEL CHAVES

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 1999 vol. 47 p. 1431 - 1434

0021-8561

The levéis of free polyamines in the endocarpium of eggplants (Solanum melongená) cv. Black Nitewere studied during fruit growth and ripening. Other parameters such as weight and voluinevariation, respiratory intensity, ethylene production, and sugar content were determined. Thepolyamines found were putrescine and spermidine, with a higher amount of the former. No spermine, agmatine, or cadaverine were found during the development and ripening period of eggplant. At the beginning of fruit development, the levéis of putrescine and spermidine observed were 1.67 nmol/g of fresh tissue. Putrescine levéis peaked at 17.4 nmoL/g of fresh tissue on the ninth day after petal fall, decreasing later to the initial levéis. No significant changes in spermidine were observed during the growth period of the fruit. Beginning 9 days after petal fall, there was a rapid increase in fruit weight and volume, which coincided with the máximum content of free polyamines. At the same growth stage, total sugar content was máximum. Ethylene production decreased rapidly from 14.23 to 1.5 /íL/kg-h and remained low during the whole growth period.