The family Rosaceae dominates the s

The family Rosaceae dominates the scene with a variety of fruits having distinct physiological
and nutritional characteristics. Rosaceous members are cultivated primarily in the
subtropic and temperate regions. Unripened fruits are tart and the ripened fruits are in general
sweet with varying degrees of acid content, which imparts the sour sweet taste to the fruits.
The fruits are also rich in polyphenolic components such as anthocyanins, vitamin C, and
soluble as well as insoluble fiber, which make them extremely important for consumption.
The fruits of the Rosaceae include blackberry, raspberry (Rubus sp.), strawberry (Fragaria
ananassa), plum (Prunussp.; European plum—Prunus domestica; Japanese plum—Prunus
salicina; American plum—Prunus Americana, etc.), prune (P. domestica), nectarine and
peach (Prunus persica), cherry (sweet cherry—Prunus avium; sour cherry—Prunus cerasus),
apple (Malus domestica), pear (Pyrus communis), quince (Cydonia oblonga), loquat
(Eriobotrya japonica), etc. Apples have a very long shelf life when stored under appropriate
controlled atmosphere conditions. Pears are usually stored below 0◦C for a time period
without controlled atmosphere, after which they can be brought to room temperature (RT)
for ripening. Most of the soft rosaceous fruits such as the berries, cherries, plums, prunes,
and peaches have a short storage life and are highly perishable