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🔍 Climacteric Categories – Overview & Examples
The climacteric category describes whether and how a fruit continues to ripen after being harvested.
This has practical implications for harvest timing, storage, and use.
We classify all fruit-bearing plants in our database according to their ripening behavior after harvest. This system helps determine how fruits should be harvested, stored, and processed.
For species whose fruits are not relevant for human consumption, we assign the additional category “Irrelevant (not consumed by humans)”, even if the fruit may technically exhibit climacteric behavior. This allows us to maintain consistent entries without overstating irrelevant characteristics.
| Category | Definition | Example (Tropical Fruit) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-climacteric | Does not ripen after harvest. Fruits should be picked fully ripe. | Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi) |
| Slightly climacteric | Ripens very slightly after harvest; changes are minimal. | Carambola (Averrhoa carambola) |
| Moderately climacteric | Shows moderate ripening after harvest, with flavor and softness improving. | Papaya (Carica papaya) |
| Strongly climacteric | Produces a lot of ethylene, ripens rapidly after harvest; often picked green. | Mango (Mangifera indica) |
| Unknown | No reliable data yet available. | Black Sapote (Diospyros digyna) |
| Irrelevant (not consumed by humans) | Fruit is not consumed; climacteric behavior has no practical importance. | Song of india (Dracaena reflexa) |
💡 Notes
- Climacteric fruits often soften, sweeten, and become more aromatic after harvest.
- Non-climacteric fruits should be harvested only when fully ripe, as they do not improve post-harvest.
- Knowing the climacteric behavior helps in planning harvest timing, processing, and storage.