• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2009

The characteristics of fruit ripening and cell wall modifications of two oriental pear fruits were compared during storage. The loss of fresh weight was lower in 'Pingguoli' than 'Niitaka', probably due to the difference in wax accumulation and skin structure. 'Pingguoli' produced much higher amount of ethylene and showed climacteric ripening pattern, but this response was not found in 'Niitaka'. A significant difference in soluble pectin contents was found, thus, the amount of water soluble pectins were much higher in 'Niitaka' at harvest but this difference was not significant at later stage of storage. A severe loss of water soluble pectins in 'Niitaka' was confirmed whereas a similar tendency was not found in CDTA soluble ones. Even the amount of $Na_2CO_3$ soluble pectins was relatively low, 'Pingguoli' contained approximately 2 times higher than 'Niitaka' and both cultivars showed an increasing tendency in $Na_2CO_3$ soluble polymers at later stage of storage. No significant difference in alkali soluble polysaccharides (hemicelluloses fraction) was found between both cultivars. There was a significant change in gel filtration profiles regardless of cultivars, especially in water soluble pectins resulting from severe depolymerization probably due to degradation of higher molecular weight pectins and loss of their side chains. In gel filtration profiles of $Na_2CO_3$ soluble pectins, neutral sugars were evenly distributed regardless of molecular size of pectic polymers but the decrease of high molecular weight fraction was found. In comparison of alkali soluble polymers, a similar trend was found, that is, there was no difference in gel filtration profiles but 'Niitaka' seemed to have longer side chains in alkali soluble polysaccharides in both 4% and 24% of KOH soluble fractions.