red colour (Ronen et al., 1999). Softening is thought to be
the result of cell wall disassembly, decreased cell adhesion
(Vicente et al., 2007; Lunn et al., 2013), and the cumulative
effects of reducing cellular turgor pressure (Shackel et al.,
1991). The changes in cell wall structure are accompanied by
a solubilization of pectins and depolymerization of hemicellulosic
polysaccharides.