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- Author or Editor: Erin M. O'Donoghue x
The dramatic softening of avocado fruit is frequently attributed to endo-B-l,4-glucanase, an enzyme which accumulates to high levels during ripening. Definitive proof is lacking, however, and the in vivo function of this protein remains to be determined. In this study, we examined the potential involvement of pectic polysaccharides in avocado fruit ripening. Soluble uronic acids increased dramatically during avocado ripening, ranging from 30 ug/mg (15% of total uronic acids) in preripe fruit to 180 ug/mg (90% of total) in ripe fruit. During this period, soluble pectins exhibited dramatic downshifts in mol wt along with a loss in associated neutral sugars, primarily GAL and ARA. Quantities of oligomeric uronic acids were also recovered, but only during the latter stages of ripening. The degree of depolymerization observed with avocado fruit far exceeds that reported for tomato fruit; however, differences can not be explained on the basis of the activity of extractable polygalacturonase.