Studies were conducted to describe flavor and aroma in ripe tomatoes stored at 5, 10, 12.5 and 20°C. Fruit stored for 2 d below 20°C were rated by trained sensory panelists as significantly lower (P < 0.05) in ripe aroma, tomato flavor, compared to those stored at 20°C. Fruit stored at 5°C for 4 d were rated significantly lower in ripe aroma, sweetness, tomato flavor, and significantly higher in sourness, compared to those stored at 20°C. Following 8 and 12 d storage, fruit at 5°C were rated lowest in ripe aroma and sweetness. Significant reductions in important GC aroma volatiles and chemical composition and electronic nose analyses concurred with sensory descriptor ratings.
Chandler', 'Oso Grande' and 'Sweet Charlie' strawberry cultivars were harvested at four stages of color development ranging from color break to full red and stored in the dark for 8 days at 1 • C. Changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of fruit during storage were compared with those occurring during development in the field. Strawberry fruit harvested at the three-quarters colored and full red stages continued their development and ripening during storage. However, fruit harvested at the color break and half-colored stages did not develop like those ripened in the field. Strawberries harvested at the three-quarters colored stage developed the same pH, acidity, soluble solids, ascorbic acid and total phenolics content during storage as the at-harvest levels present in strawberries harvested at the full red stage. In addition, three-quarters colored strawberries were as firm and red after storage as the full red stage fruit were at the time of harvest. Thus, strawberries harvested at the three-quarters colored stage can be stored for a longer period than strawberries harvested full red while retaining better color and firmness.
Chandler', 'Oso Grande' and 'Sweet Charlie' strawberries were stored for 8 days at 1 or 10°C, or 4 days at 20°C, either unwrapped or wrapped in PVC film to retard water loss. Total ascorbic acid (AA) content was expressed on a dry weight basis to correct for water loss differences between treatments. Loss of AA was low and did not differ between wrapped treatments at 1 and 10°C, but was much greater at 20°C. Wrapping reduced AA loss by 5-fold at 1 and 10°C and by 2-fold at 20°C. The effect was not due to modification of O 2 and CO 2 levels in wrapped treatments, which was minimal. The results indicate that water loss had a greater effect on AA levels than temperature. Combining wrapping with storage at 1 or 10°C reduced AA loss by 7.5-fold compared to unwrapped strawberries stored at 20°C.
The effect of physiological maturity at harvest on ripe tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) volatile profiles was studied using ripening response time (in days) to 100 μL·L-1 exogenous ethylene treatment as a tool to separate immature-green from mature-green fruit. Electronic nose (EN) sensor array and gas chromatography (GC) analyses were used to document volatile profile changes in tomatoes that required a 1-, 3-, or 5-day ethylene treatment to reach the breaker stage. EN output analysis using multivariate discriminant and canonical analyses classified intact tomato and whole tomato homogenate samples that required 3 or 5 days of ethylene treatment as significantly different (P < 0.01) from those that required only 1 day. The GC aroma profiles from whole tomato homogenate showed that 1-day fruit had significantly higher levels (P < 0.05) of 1-penten-3-one, cis-3-hexenal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-isobutylthiazole, and geranylacetone when compared to 5-day fruit. Analysis of excised tomato tissues showed that pericarp (including columnella) produced an average 219% greater concentration of the 16 aroma volatiles quantified by GC when compared to locular gel (442 and 203 μL·L-1, respectively). EN analysis concurred with GC by showing greater average Mahalanobis distance between pericarp tissue groupings when compared to locular gel groupings (78.25 and 12.33 units, respectively). Pericarp tissue from the 5-day ethylene treatment showed significantly lower levels of 1-penten-3-one, trans-2-heptenal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-isobutylthiazole, geranylacetone, and β-ionone compared to the 1- and 3-day treatments, Similarly, locular gel from the 3- and 5-day ethylene treatments had significantly lower levels of 1-penten-3-one, 2-isobutylthiazole, and 1-nitro-2-phenylethane compared to 1-day samples. cis-3-Hexenol in locular gel was the only volatile compound that showed significantly higher levels with increasing ethylene treatment. EN analysis showed greater Mahalanobis distances between 1- and 3-day ethylene samples than between 3- and 5-day ethylene samples (32.09 and 12.90, 24.14 and 6.52, 116.31 and 65.04, and 15.74 and 13.28 units, for intact tomato, whole tomato, pericarp, and locular gel homogenate, respectively).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.