Biochemical and physiological study of the firmness of table grape berries

•The NN107 grape variety increased in firmness close to harvest while Thompson Seedless grapes reduced firmness from veraison until harvest.•Calcium quantification and uronic acid determination suggest a special role for calcium bridge formation in the higher firmness observed in NN107.•Differences in pectin structure suggest a higher dynamics of pectinase hydrolysable sites in cell wall material of the softer variety compared to NN107.

Firmness is an essential quality parameter of table grapes (Vitis vinifera) for consumers, with grape bunches that contains soft berries less preferred, resulting in a reduction in the market price. The softening of grape berries has been commonly associated with cell walls, especially the disassembly of pectic polysaccharides. However, the process of berry softening is not completely understood. To investigate the softening process of grape berries, we compared the Thompson Seedless variety, which suffers significant economic losses due to fruit softening, and NN107, a new variety with a significantly higher level of berry firmness. The composition of the cell wall during the berry development of these two grape varieties was compared. NN107 berries had a greater amount of calcium and uronic acids in the cell wall material than Thompson Seedless grapes, suggesting a special role for calcium bridge formation in NN107. Additionally, polyacrylamide carbohydrate electrophoresis (PACE) analysis suggested differences between these varieties in pectin structure. Thompson Seedless grapes showed increased pectolyase hydrolysable site dynamics in the cell wall material and higher polygalacturonase activity than NN107. Immunohistochemistry focusing on the pectin structure confirmed the roles of both calcium bridge formation and cell wall integrity as they relate to a firmer grape berry phenotype.