Question

Briefly explain about degreening in fruits.

Hint:

Note: Degreening is mainly used for commercial citrus fruit marketing.

Answer 1

Degreening is a post-harvest treatment used to remove the green color (chlorophyll) from fruits to improve their market appeal.
It is commonly practiced for fruits like citrus (oranges, lemons) and bananas, which may still have green patches even when mature.
In degreening, fruits are exposed to low concentrations of ethylene gas under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
Ethylene accelerates the breakdown of chlorophyll and enhances the development of the natural yellow or orange color of the fruit peel.
Proper degreening does not affect the internal quality of the fruit but makes it more attractive for consumers.
Care must be taken to control temperature and ventilation to avoid over-ripening or decay during the process.