Today consumers are more and more concerned with food components providing health beneficial effects, such as polyphenols. Polyphenols also influence the organoleptic quality of plant-derived food, including fruits. Most studies on polyphenols content and composition have been carried out on fruits grown in temperate countries. Less is known on polyphenols in tropical fruits. This paper summarises knowledge on polyphenol composition and metabolism in tropical and sub-tropical fruits in relation to ripening and storage conditions. As tropical fruits are highly susceptible to browning, a particular interest is drawn on the respective influence of biochemical parameters responsible for browning.