Figure 6: A model for the processes of strawberry fruit ripening at molecular level.

With the action of sun energy, CO2 and H2O can be transformed into sugar by photosynthesis in chloroplast of leaves and fruit, the sugar can be turned into CO2 and H2O by oxidative phosphorylation to produce the motive force [ATP and NADH] for metabolic reactions. Coupled with the fruit de-greening and red-coloring, protein/DNA/RNA turnover always follows, the increased-sugar metabolisms are involved in glycolysis, sucrose turnover, and atarch, pectin and cellulose; the increased-phenylpropanoid/flavonoid metabolisms are mainly involved in anthocyanidin and lignin synthesis; The defense reactions are involved in plant-pathogen interaction, lysosome, glutathione, and methionine metabolisms. The cellular global metabolisms are under the programmed regulation of plant hormones, the action of IAA, JA, and GA decreased while the action of ethylene, ABA, and PA increased.