Fruit quality standards have been determined empirically, depending on species and on the particular growing regions. In general, the TSS (total soluble solids) to total acidity (TA) ratio determines whether fruits can be marketed. The TSS/TA ratio in fruits is dominated by two main components: (i) overall vacuolar juice cell acidity and the juice cell sugar content. Our goal is to characterize the physiological, biochemical and molecular components that promote and control the accumulation of TSS and TA in fruits in general and citrus fruits in particular. We apply a multidisciplinary approach that combines physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genomics, metabolomics and proteomics in order to determine the key determinants that control fruit quality. The biochemical characterization of the different fruit vacuolar acid and sugar transporters and the sugar biosynthesis pathways will open many possibilities for fruit improvement. At the short-term, the enhancement of fruit quality during pre- and post-harvest practices, the improvement of fruit sweetness and fruit acidity, and the characterization of physiological disorders that depend on TSS and TA fruit content. At the long-term, the biochemical and molecular characterization of these pathways will facilitate the development of molecular biology tools for the biotechnological manipulation of citrus fruit quality.

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