Alterations occurring in fruits and vegetables
You may already be aware that fruits and vegetables vary greatly in their chemical composition. Though, some generalizations are possible. Fruits and vegetables have high water content, with a range from approximately 70 per cent for pears and bananas to 91 per cent for cabbage. The amount of protein and lipids in fruits and vegetables is usually very low, though both are good sources of vitamins mainly vitamins A and C. Part of the carbohydrate in fresh fruits and vegetables is present as cellulose and pectic substances in the cell wall. Starch is present in almost all fruits and vegetables, although it may reduces on ripening. Glucose, fructose and sucrose are widely distributed whose content vary considerably in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Further, we have also seen that carotenoids, chlorophylls, anthoxanthins and anthocyanins are the chief pigments present in fruits and vegetables.