Many fruits change color as they ripen due to chemical changes, most notably the accumulation of anthocyanins.
Here's a breakdown of why and some examples:
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Why Fruits Change Color: As fruits ripen, various pigments within the fruit develop. Anthocyanins, which are responsible for red, purple, and blue hues, often increase significantly. Chlorophyll, which gives unripe fruits their green color, breaks down. This combination leads to a visible color change.
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Examples of Fruits that Change Color:
- Pomegranate: Starts green and ripens to a deep red.
- Cherry: Goes from green to yellow to red to dark red/almost black when fully ripe.
- Plums: Change color depending on the variety, but often go from green to red, purple, or black.
- Blackberries: Begin green, then red, and finally a deep black.
- Blueberries: Start green, then turn pinkish-red, and finally blue.
- Strawberries: Transition from green to white to red.
- Red Pears: Often start green and develop red hues as they ripen.
- Red Apples: Change from green to red.
- Cranberries: Shift from green to white to red.
- Grapes: Various color changes depending on the grape variety, including green to red, purple, or black.
- Eggplant: Changes from purple to shades of dark brown.
Therefore, numerous fruits change color as they ripen, including pomegranates, cherries, plums, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, red pears, red apples, cranberries, grapes, and eggplants, among others.
