Changes in cell wall components on berry texture and adhesion strength of table grape ‘Shine muscat’ at different ripening stages

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate how fruit texture and cell wall composition change during the ripening stage of ‘Shine Muscat’. The physical properties of the berries, including adhesive strength between flesh and skin, were measured at different stages of maturity. The cell wall components were analyzed by dividing the berries into three parts: central berry flesh, flesh around skin, and skin. The adhesive strength between the flesh and skin increased from 1.2 N at 28 days after the veraison to 1.6 N at 49 days after the veraison. In addition, at 56 days after veraison, the second fracture strain rate was <100 %, indicating that the texture was suitable for eating without peeling the skin.

With respect to the central berry flesh content of cell wall components changed slightly with maturation. However, in the flesh around the skin, both pectin and hemicellulose showed an increasing trend with maturity, and their content increased significantly 49 days after veraison, when the adhesive strength between the skin and flesh increased. In pectin, arabinose was found to be the most prominent monosaccharide. Contents of cell wall components in the flesh varied by site of berry. Specifically, changes in the adhesion of skin and flesh at different maturity can be attributed to changes in the pectin and hemicellulose structures in the flesh around the skin. As the fruit ripened, changes were observed in the composition of the cell walls in the flesh around the skin, suggesting that these changes may have affected the texture of the berry.