Commercial regulation of ripening is currently achieved through
early harvest, by controlling the postharvest storage
atmosphere and genetic selection for slow or late ripening
varieties. Although these approaches are often effective, they
are not universally applicable and often result in acceptable,
but poor quality, products. With increased understanding of the
molecular biology underlying ripening and the advent of genetic
engineering technologies, researchers have pursued new
strategies to address problems in fruit shelf-life and quality.
These have been guided by recent insights into mechanisms by
which ethylene and a complex network of transcription factors
regulate ripening, and by an increased appreciation of factors
that contribute to shelf-life, such as the fruit cuticle