Study of the cell wall components produced during different ripening stages through thermogravimetric analysis

Fruit softening during ripening is mainly a consequence of the solubilization and depolymerization of cell wall components mediated by the action of a complex set of enzymes and proteins. In the present work, we performed a comparative study of the changes in physiological properties and cell wall-associated polysaccharide contents during different developmental stages of strawberry fruit (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cultivar Camarosa) using thermogravimetry (TG) combined with Fourier transform infrared and physiological analyses. The Camarosa cultivar showed a decline in the fruit firmness, based on the TGA curves was demonstrated the degradation of the cell wall polymers. Additionally, the TG analysis showed that the dry sample derived from the green stage fruit had the greatest thermal stability, most likely due to the increase in inter-chain hydrogen bonding within the cell wall, while the sample derived from the ripe stage fruit had the least thermal stability. Finally, the existence of a correlation between fruit firmness and mass loss at specific temperatures, that provides a basis for a model for understanding the changes within the cell wall in F. × ananassa during fruit ripening.