Harvest stages and pre-cooling influence the quality and storage life of tomato fruit.

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the influence of harvesting stages and pre -cooling on the physico-chemical quality characteristics of stored tomato fruit during the years 2008 -2009. Tomato fruits of three maturity stages e.g. breaker, yellow and pink were harvested on 30 th June at mid-day and either left untreated (control) or subjected to pre - cooling treatment. Data was recorded on various physico-chemical quality characteristics after 28 days storage at 12±2°C. Harvesting stages significantly affected the fruit quality parameters. The least weight loss (9.167 %) and reducing sugars (2.93%) were recorded in fruits harvested at yellow mature stage, which also had the highest juice (34.16%) and ascorbic acid content (8.06 mg/100ml). The fruit harvested at breaker stage had the highest firmness (7.833 kg/cm 2 ), but least juice content (26.66%), TSS (7.91%), fruit pH (3.58) and disease incidence (14.5%), while the highest weight loss (11.167%), fruit pH (4.0) and disease incidence (17.5%) was obs erved in fruits harvested at pink mature stage. Pre-cooling resulted in significantly lower weight loss , TSS, fruit pH, reducing sugars and disease incidence as well as higher juice content, fruit firmness, nonreducing sugars and ascorbic acid as compared control. The interaction of harvesting stages and pre -cooling revealed that the treatment resulted in significantly higher fruit firmness, ascorbic acid content and lower disease incidence, however it was more effective at the yellow stage of maturity.