Composition and Flavor Quality of Fresh Market Tomatoes as Influenced by Some Postharvest Handling Procedures1

Abstract

Sensory evaluations and chemical analyses were used to investigate the effects of various postharvest handling procedures on composition and flavor quality of ‘Cal Ace’ tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) harvested at the mature-green and light-pink stages. Ethylene treatment to speed ripening of green tomatoes at 20°C resulted in a higher reduced ascorbic acid content at the table-ripe stage and did not influence flavor when compared with fruits ripened without added ethylene. Using a low-O2 atmosphere to retard ripening had less of an effect on flavor than stage of ripeness at harvest. No differences were found between fruits where ripening was delayed by using 4% O2-atmosphere at 20° or by using low temperature (12.5°). Exposing fruits to 5° for 7 days before ripening at 20° affected flavor; i.e., chilled fruits were more acid. Above the chilling range (0-12.5°); duration of holding after harvest was more important than storage temperature. Lower holding periods resulted in loss of characteristic “tomato-like” flavor and development of “off-flavors.” Mature-green fruits, ripened at 20° under restricted air flow, had increased “off-flavors” when compared to those ripened under accelerated air exchange. Light-pink fruits subjected to impact bruising before ripening had more “off-flavor” and less “tomatolike” flavor than those without physical damage. Quantitative differences in a few volatile components were found with certain treatments, but no qualitative differences were detected and there was no significant difference in total volatile content among any of the treatments tested.

Harvest Maturity and Acceptability of Flora-Dade Tomatoes

“…There was a preference by the sensory panel for tomatoes harvested at Br, and tomatoes harvested at later color stages were not preferred to those harvested at the green stages. These trends do not agree with previous reports on other cultivars (4,10,12,13,21), which showed that sensory acceptability increases with harvest maturity. In retrospect, it is possible that the time required for fruit harvested at later stages to ripen fully was underestimated.…”

“…Explanations for reduced Pn of deblossomed plants have included: a) interference with light reception caused by an accumulation of starch in the chloroplasts of deblossomed plants, and b) lower gs caused by an accumulation of assimilates in the leaves of deblossomed plants (19). Fruiting had no effect on Rd of citrus (12) and strawberry plants (4).…”

Ripening of Mature-green Tomato Fruit Slices

“…An untrained taste panel of 13 individuals tasted ripened slices and slices of whole fruit harvested fully ripe in an informal test and scored the slices acceptable to good, although some thought the slices were insipid (data not shown). The low SSC:TA ratio and pH probably accounted for the insipid taste of the slices (6). No off-flavors were noted.…”

Effect of Harvest Maturity on the Final Fruit Composition of Cherry and Large-fruited Tomato Cultivars

“…Some workers found no differences in pH and soluble solids content between mature-green harvested, roomripened fruit and vine-ripened fruit (2, 23), whereas others reported vine-ripened fruit to have higher pH and soluble solids (13)(14)(15). Titratable acidity was reported to be higher (23), similar (2, 13), or lower (12,14,15) in vine-ripened vs. mature green-harvested and room-ripened fruit. Differences in flavor volatiles have been reported between vine-ripened and roomripened tomatoes (4,13,19,23).…”