Why Do Fruits Change Color When They Ripen?

You must have seen raw mangoes and raw lemons—they are green in color. In fact, most fruits are green when they are raw. But as they ripen on the tree under sunlight, their colors change. Lemons turn bright yellow, mangoes turn saffron-orange, and jamuns (Indian plums) become deep purple. All fruits, when ripe, look more attractive.

The skin of raw fruits contains chlorophyll, which makes them green. Like leaves, raw fruits also absorb sunlight to prepare food. But as they ripen, the chlorophyll breaks down and substances called chromoplasts are formed. Chromoplasts are red, orange, yellow, or purple in color. That is why different fruits turn into different attractive colors when they ripen.

These bright colors attract animals and birds, who eat the fruits and scatter their seeds on the ground. In this way, fruits help in carrying forward the generations of plants.