fruit’s general disintegration But it’s now clear that ripening is a last, intense phase of life As it ripens, the fruit actively prepares for its end, organizing itself into a feast for our eye and palate Food Words: Ripe, Climacteric Our word ripe began as an Old English word meaning “ready for reaping,” and like reap comes ultimately from an IndoEuropean root meaning “to cut.” River, rope, row, and rigatoni are all relatives Climacteric can be traced back to a root meaning “to lean,” which led to the Greek climax, “ladder,” then offshoots meaning “rung” and therefore “a dangerous place,” and finally climacteric itself, meaning a critical stage in life — whether a human’s or a fruit’s Fruits: Their Potential for Improvement after Harvest, and Optimal Storage Temperatures Most of the changes in ripening are caused by a host of enzymes, which break down complex molecules into simpler ones, and also generate new molecules just for this moment in the fruit’s life There is a single trigger that sets the ripening enzymes into action The first clues to its identity came around 1910 From the Caribbean islands came a report that bananas stored near some oranges had ripened earlier than the other bunches Then California citrus growers noticed that green fruit kept near a kerosene stove changed color faster than the rest What secret ripening agent did stove and fruit have ...Most of the changes in ripening are caused by a host of enzymes, which break down complex molecules into simpler ones, and also generate new molecules just for this moment in the fruit’s life There is a single... trigger that sets the ripening enzymes into action The first clues to its identity came around 1910 From the Caribbean islands came a report that bananas stored near some oranges had ripened earlier than the other... oranges had ripened earlier than the other bunches Then California citrus growers noticed that green fruit kept near a kerosene stove changed color faster than the rest What secret ripening agent did stove and fruit have