Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more edible. In general, a fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. However the acidity as well as sweetness rises during ripening, but the fruit still tastes sweeter regardless. The reason for this is the Brix-Acid Ratio. Ripening agents Ripening agents speed up the ripening process. They allow many fruits to be picked prior to full ripening, which is useful since ripened fruits don't ship well. For example, bananas… (More on Ripening)