Asynchronous ripening behavior of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) cultivars with respect to physicochemical and physiological attributes

•We examined the evolution of ripening events in two cactus pear cultivars.•Asynchronous sugar and betalain accumulation patterns were identified.•Fruit firmness was highly correlated to seed weight and seed-to-pulp ratio.•Ripening elicited extensive loss of cell wall neutral sugars but not pectins....

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