Starch Granules in Tomato Fruit Show a Complex Pattern of Degradation

Starch is transiently accumulated in tomato fruit with near complete degradation achieved by maturity. Surprisingly, 14C-pulse-chase analyses indicated that the rate of starch degradation was highest in immature fruit [10 days post anthesis (DPA)] when maximal synthesis occurs, but was almost undetectable at 45 DPA when there is net breakdown of starch. Further analysis of starch accumulation, rate of synthesis, particle size analysis, and...