Xyloglucan-derived oligosaccharides induce ethylene synthesis in persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) fruit

In this work the effect of injection of xyloglucan-derived oligosaccharides (XGOs) into whole persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) fruits on ethylene biosynthesis was investigated. Fruits collected during different ripening stages produced low levels of ethylene without a climacteric-like peak. Pretreatment of these fruits with 10 cm 3 C 2 H4 m -3 for 8 h stimulated little or no endogenous ethylene production. However, when persimmon fruits were injected with a mixture of XGOs a burst in ethylene production was observed compared with water-injected control fruits or fruits injected with different monosaccharide solutions. In order to study the influence of oligosaccharide structure and fruit ripen…