Label-free and rapid spectroscopic evaluation of ripening of Syzygium cumini fruit

In the present investigation, attempts have been made to obtain the spectral signature of the fruit jamun and to estimate the changes in biochemical composition that take place in the process of ripening of the fruits. The changes in exocarp, mesocarp, and seed of the fruit in raw and ripe stages have been investigated with the help of label-free, nondestructive, and rapid techniques: laser-induced fluorescence and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. For this, the fluorescence spectra of the different parts (exocarp, mesocarp, and seed) of the raw and ripe fruits of jamun excited by 405?nm violet diode laser have been recorded in the spectral region 400–900?nm. The spectrum shows the spectral signature of anthocyanin, flavonoids, carotenoid, and chlorophyll. The observed decrease in the intensity of chlorophyll bands and simultaneous increase in the intensity of anthocyanin and carotenoid bands is regarded as indicator of the ripening of the fruit of jamun. Also, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra have been recorded in the spectral region 4000–485?cm^?1 for the identification of functional groups associated with different biochemical altered during ripening process of the fruits of jamun. The analyses of the recorded infrared spectra show the presence of carbohydrates, cell wall components, phenolic compounds, nucleic acid, and amide. The quantitative estimation of the biochemical content in the different parts of jamun fruit during the ripening process has been done through calculating the area of the band by curve fitting. The determined spectral signatures can be utilized for the effective monitoring of jamun fruit.