dEjournals Home Page
International Journal of Horticultural Science
Current Author Guide Archives Search Submit Online Most Read
Register Login

International Journal of Horticultural Science

Vol. 32 (2026)
Articles

Skin colour and softening synchronization during ripening of three avocado cultivars

Published:
2026-07-02
DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.31421/ijhs/32/2026/16781
Authors
Kagiso Florance Ledwaba,
Kingsly Shikwambana,
Tieho Paulus Mafeo,
Thabiso Kenneth Satekge,
Nhlanhla Mathaba
View
pdf
Keywords
avocado ripening colour fruit softening chlorophyll degradation total anthocyanin
License

Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Horticultural Science

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

How To Cite
Selected Style: APA
Ledwaba, K. F., Shikwambana, K., Mafeo, T. P., Satekge, T. K., & Mathaba, N. (2026). Skin colour and softening synchronization during ripening of three avocado cultivars. International Journal of Horticultural Science, 32(1), 126-133. https://doi.org/10.31421/ijhs/32/2026/16781
Abstract

Skin colour-softening de-synchronization during the early season remains a major quality concern in ‘Hass’ avocado, leading to consumer dissatisfaction and market losses. This study evaluated whether Hass-type cultivars ‘Carmen’ and ‘Maluma’ exhibit de-synchronization between skin colour and mesocarp softening as compared to ‘Hass’ avocado. The study was conducted using fruit harvested from a ZZ2 Moeketsi commercial farm in Tzaneen, Limpopo, South Africa. The ‘Carmen’ and ‘Maluma’ cultivars were harvested in April 2024, while the ‘Hass’ cultivar was harvested in May 2024. The harvested fruits were stored at 5.5 °C for 28 days. After cold storage, fruit were held at ambient temperature to induce ripening. Firmness declined significantly in all cultivars (p < 0.001), with ‘Carmen’ softening earlier and ‘Maluma’ showing a gradual softening pattern.  Skin colour changed from green to purple and black; however, colour development was more pronounced and closely aligned with softening in ‘Carmen’ and ‘Maluma’. Chlorophyll and carotenoids decreased, whereas anthocyanin increased during ripening, with a stronger correlation between colour, firmness, and pigment changes in ‘Carmen’ and ‘Maluma’. These results indicate better skin colour-softening synchronisation in ‘Carmen’ and ‘Maluma’, supporting their suitability for early season export programs.

References
  1. Arancibia-Guerra, C., Núñez-Lillo, G., Cáceres-Mella, A., Carrera, E., Meneses, C., Kuhn, N., Pedreschi, R. (2022): Color desynchronization with softening of ‘Hass’ avocado: Targeted pigment, hormone and gene expression analysis. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 194: 112067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2022.112067.
  2. Arpaia, M. L., Smith, H. (2004): Enhancement of Avocado Productivity. Plant improvement-selection and evaluation of improved varieties and rootstocks. In Proceedings of the California avocado research symposium (pp. 9-23). Riverside, California: University of California and California Avocado Commission.
  3. Ashton, O. B. O., Wong, M., McGhie, T. K., Vather, R., Wang, Y., Requejo-Jackman, C., Ramankutty, P., Woolf, A. B. (2006): Pigments in avocado tissue and oil. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54(26): 10151–10158. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf061809j
  4. Cox, K. A., McGhie, T. K., White, A., Woolf, A. B. (2004): Skin colour and pigment changes during ripening of ‘Hass’ avocado fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology: 31(3): 287–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2003.09.008
  5. Crane, J.H., Manosalva, P., Faber, B.A, Barrientos-Priego, A.F., Focht, E.D., Arpaia, M.L., Bender, G.S., Balerdi, C.F. (2025): Cultivars and rootstocks. In: Carrillo D, Schaffer B, Whiley AW, Wolstenholme BN (eds) The avocado: botany, production and uses, 3rd edn. CABI, Wallingford: 212–263
  6. Ernst, A. A., Ernst, Z. R., Ernst, E. D. (2015): ‘Maluma’: establishing a new generation avocado cultivar commercially. In VIII Congreso Mundial de la Palta: 1-8.
  7. Giusti, M. M., Wrolstad, R. E. (2001): Characterization and measurement of anthocyanins by UV‐visible spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry. F1: 2.1-F1. 2.13.
  8. Hofman, P. J., Vuthapanich, S., Whiley, A. W., Klieber, A., Simons, D. H. (2002): Tree yield and fruit minerals concentrations influence ‘Hass’ avocado fruit quality. Scientia Horticulturae. 92(2): 113-123.
  9. Kämper, W., Ogbourne, S.M., Hawkes, D., Trueman, S.J. (2021): SNP markers reveal relationships between fruit paternity, fruit quality and distance from a cross-pollen source in avocado orchards. Scientific Reports. 11: 20043. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99394-
  10. Kayesh, E., Bilkish, N., Zhang, Y., Song, C., Han, J., Cheng, Z.-M., Fang, J., Shangguan, L., Sun, X., Korir, N. K. (2013): Fruit skin color and the role of anthocyanin. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 35(10): 2879–2890. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1332-8
  11. Lahack, M., Noy, M., Szenes, N., Rubinovich, L. (2024): Vegetative growth, flowering, and physiological parameters of young avocado ‘Hass’ and ‘Hass’-like cultivars under extreme weather conditions. 19 December 2024, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5675529/v1
  12. Lee, J., Durst, R. W., Wrolstad, R. E. (2005): Determination of total monomeric anthocyanin pigment content pf fruit juices, beverages, natural colorants, and wines by the pH differential method: Collaborative study. Journal of AOAC International. 88: 1269-1278.
  13. Mathaba, N., Mafeo, T. P., Kruger, F. J. (2015): The skin colouring problem of “Hass” avocado fruit during ripening. South African Avocado Growers’ Association Yearbook. 38: 51–51.
  14. Mathaba, N., Mathe, S., Mafeo, T. P., Tesfay, S. Z., Mlimi, J. (2017): Complexities of ‘Hass’ avocado skin colour change during ripening. South African Avocado Growers’ Association Yearbook. 40: 129–132.
  15. McGuire, R. G. (1992): Reporting of objective color measurements. HortScience. 27: 1254-1255. https://doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.27.12.1254
  16. Mpai, S., Sivakumar, D. (2020): Influence of growing seasons on metabolic composition, and fruit quality of avocado cultivars at ‘ready-to-eat stage’. Scientia Horticulturae. 265: 109159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.109159
  17. Núñez-Lillo, G., Ponce, E., Arancibia-Guerra, C., Carpentier, S., Carrasco-Pancorbo, A., Olmo-García, L., Chirinos, R., Campos, D., Campos-Vargas, R., Meneses, C., Pedreschi, R. (2023): A multiomics integrative analysis of color de-synchronization with softening of “Hass” avocado fruit: A first insight into a complex physiological disorder. Food Chemistry. 408(135215): 135215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.135215
  18. Olivares, D., Ulloa, P. A., Vergara, C., Hernández, I., García-Rojas, M., Campos-Vargas, R., Pedreschi, R., Defilippi, B. (2024): Effects of delaying the storage of ‘Hass’ avocados under a controlled atmosphere on skin color, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. Plants. 13: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111455
  19. Ramos-Aguilar, A. L., Ornelas-Paz, J., Tapia-Vargas, L. M., Gardea-Béjar, A. A., Yahia, E. M., de Jesús Ornelas-Paz, J., Ruiz-Cruz, S., Rios-Velasco, C., Ibarra-Junquera, V. (2021): Comparative study on the phytochemical and nutrient composition of ripe fruit of Hass and Hass type avocado cultivars. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 97: 103796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103796
  20. Ranganath, K. G. (2022): Pigments that colour our fruits: An overview. Erwerbs-Obstbau. 64(4): 535–547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-022-00698-3
  21. Salvo, J. E., Lovatt, C. J. (2016): Nitrogen fertilization strategies for the ‘Hass’ avocado that increase total yield without reducing fruit size. HortTechnology. 26(4): 426-435.
  22. Setagane, L., Mafeo, T. P., Mathaba, N., Shikwambana, K. (2021): Mitigation of chilling injury with hot water treatment to improve early-season ‘HASS’ avocado (Persea americana) fruit peel colour. Research on Crops. 22(1): 60–67. https://doi.org/10.31830/2348-7542.2021.037
  23. Shikwambana, K., Mafeo, T. P., Mathaba, N. (2021): Effect of postharvest glucose infusion on exocarp colour of ‘Hass’ avocado (Persea americana Mill) during ripening. Journal of Horticulture and Postharvest Research. 4(4): 439–452. https://doi.org/10.22077/jhpr.2021.4254.1202
  24. Shikwambana, K., Mafeo, T. P., Mathaba, N. (2022): The relationship between exocarp colour development and pigments of different size ‘Hass’ avocado fruit during ripening. Acta Horticulturae. 1340: 93–98. https://doi.org/10.17660/actahortic.2022.1340.14
  25. Sibeko, D. S., Shikwambana, K., Mathaba, N. (2023): Effect of ripening temperature on early-season “Hass” avocado fruit exocarp colour development and pigmentation during ripening. Zahradnictvi (Prague, Czech Republic: 1992). 51(2): https://doi.org/10.17221/72/2023-hortsci
  26. Sun, Y., Zheng, Y., Wang, W., Yao, H., Ali, Z., Xiao, M., Ma, Z., Li, J., Zhou, W., Cui, J., Yu, K., Liu, Y. (2024): VvFHY3 links auxin and endoplasmic reticulum stress to regulate grape anthocyanin biosynthesis at high temperatures. The Plant Cell. 37(1): https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae303
  27. Villa-Rodriguez, J. A., Yahia, E. M., González-León, A., Ifie, I., Robles-Zepeda, R. E., Domínguez-Avila, J. A., González-Aguilar, G. A. (2020): Ripening of ‘Hass’ avocado mesocarp alters its phytochemical profile and the in vitro cytotoxic activity of its methanolic extracts. South African Journal of Botany. 128: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.09.020
  28. Zhang, L., Song, B., Li, B., Zhang, S., Liu, Y., Chen, G., Zhang, J., Li, J., Wu, J. (2024): Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of fifteen gene families involved in anthocyanin synthesis in pear. Horticulturae. 10(4): 335. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040335
Database Logos
DOAJ ProQuest MTMT MTA EBSCO CROSSREF EPA BASE OpenAire Index Copernicus Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam