Fruits play a vital role in human nutrition. Ripening is the final stage of development of a fruit, which involves series of physiological and biochemical events that make them both attractive and tasty to eat. One of the limited factors that influence their economic value is the relatively short ripening period and reduced postharvest life. Over ripening of fruits leads to excessive softening which results in spoilage and damage during transportation and handling. Slowing the process of ripening andsenescence extends the storage and shelf life of fresh fruits. Increment in shelf life of fruits not only helps the grower to save on postharvest losses but consumers are also benefited in terms of retained freshness of fruit for longer period and thusresults in value addition to the fruit. In recent times there is much concern about artificial ripening of fruits in many parts of the world. Though fruits like mango naturally ripen in trees; some chemicals are used to ripen them artificially which hasten the ripening process. Ripe fruits are not suitable to carry and distribute as they get rotten. So fruit traders pick unripe fruits and use certain methods to increase the shelf life of them. For many years Ethylene had been used as a fruit ripening agent. Nowadays Calcium carbide is getting popular in this regard as it has a faster ripening property. But inappropriate use of Carbide to ripen fruits is associated with many health hazards. In this paper we have tried to reveal the essentials of this burning issue and looked for solutions.
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