ABSTRACT
In plants, the terms aging, senescence, maturing and ripening are used interchangeably. Ripening process in fruits or vegetables may or may not be concomitant with continuous changes in their size after a given size has been reached. Thus any alterations in the vitamin concentration as plants ripen may be, in cases, partly associated with simultaneous changes occurring in their size and weight. The preference for a mature or immature fruit or vegetable could have nutritional consequences especially in cases where maturity reduces some plant vitamins. Many agronomic practices, such as the use of fertilizers, plant protection and growth regulator chemicals, irrigation, and so forth, are mainly used to maximize the plant yield, and in cases to improve other culinary and cosmetic qualities. In contrast to ascorbic acid, the concentration of most other vitamins tends to be higher in the larger-sized fruits or vegetables than in the smaller ones.
