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This research was conducted to identify the optimum harvest maturity stage/s that yielded the highest nutritional quality and longest marketable shelf-life. "TY Megaton" and "Yureka" cultivars were harvested at the breaker, pink, and red stages and stored up to 20 days at 12°C with 85 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). Quality attributes, the contents of important secondary metabolites, and antioxidant activity were assessed during the storage period. Storing and marketing of tomato fruits up to 3 weeks could be possible. However, a gradually decreasing trend of ascorbic acid and total phenolic content was observed as the maturity stage and storage period proceeded, irrespective of the cultivar. Results of lycopene content and antioxidant activity suggest that better nutritional benefit from the breaker and pink stages could be obtained after 16 and 12 days of storage, respectively, and from the beginning to eighth day of storage for the red stage.Las etapas de maduración afectan la calidad nutricional y la capacidad de almacenamiento de los cultivares de tomate RESUMEN La presente investigación se propuso identificar las etapas de maduración y cosecha de cultivares de tomate óptimas para obtener un producto de mayor calidad nutricional y mayor vida útil comercial. Con este objetivo se cosecharon los cultivares "TY Megaton" y "Yureka" en sus etapas de verde maduro, rosado y rojo, almacenándose posteriormente hasta 20 días a 12°C y a una humedad relativa (RH) de 85±5%. Durante el periodo de almacenamiento se valoraron los atributos de calidad, los contenidos de metabolitos secundarios importantes y la actividad antioxidante. Tras este proceso se determinó que los tomates pueden ser almacenados y comercializados durante un periodo máximo de tres semanas. Sin embargo, a medida que transcurrían las etapas de maduración y continuaba el periodo de almacenamiento se observó que, sin importar el cultivar, el ácido ascórbico y el contenido fenólico total tendieron a disminuir. Los registros tomados del contenido de licopeno y la actividad antioxidante sugieren que puede obtenerse mayor beneficio nutricional de las etapas verde maduro y rosado después de 16 y 12 días de almacenamiento, respectivamente, y desde el primero hasta el octavo día de almacenamiento para la etapa rojo.

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This study was conducted to assess the physicochemical changes and overall nutritional implications of greenhouse-grown "TY Megaton" and "Yureka" tomato cultivars under on-vine and postharvest ripening conditions. In the first group, tomatoes were harvested from a vine at the breaker, pink, and red ripening stages and sampled immediately. The second group was harvested at the breaker stage and allowed to ripen under room conditions to the pink and red stages based on color values, similar to the vine-ripened samples. The results of the present study revealed that fresh weight loss was below the maximum acceptable weight loss and firmness was above the minimum limit of marketing after postharvest ripening to the pink and red stages; moreover, this process did not have any deleterious effect on the antioxidant properties or antioxidant activity of the tomatoes. Hence, the results clearly indicate that breaker-stage tomatoes can be postharvest-ripened under room conditions without affecting their marketability and nutritional components.