Glycosyl‐linkage composition of tomato fruit cell wall hemicellulosic fractions during ripening

Hemicelluloses were extracted from isolated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Rutgers) pericarp cell wall material at 3 different stages of ripeness with 4 M and 8 M KOH. Little change in molecular weight or composition of 4 M KOH‐extracted material was observed during ripening. However, the composition of 8 M KOH‐extracted material changed, and a relative increase in polymers of < 40 kDa was observed during ripening. Changes in glycosyl linkage composition of the 8 M KOH hemicellulosic material were detected, including increases in 4‐linked mannosyl, 4,6‐linked mannosyl, and 4‐linked glucosyl, and decreases in 5‐linked arabinosyl residues in polymers of < 40 kDa, and decreases in terminal glocosyl residues in polymers of > 40 kDa. These data may indicate that de novo hemicellulose synthesis occurs throughout tomato fruit ripening, even at the red ripe stage.