Intercultivar Variation in Composition of Locular and Pericarp Portions of Fresh Market Tomatoes1

Abstract

Locular content ranged between 14.4 and 35.0% among 7 cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.): ‘Calmart’, ‘Cal Ace’, ‘Ace 55’, ‘Early Pak 7’, ‘Earliana’, ‘Rick High Sugar’, and ‘Cherry’. There was a strong negative correlation between fruit weight and percent locular tissue. Based on means of all cultivars, the pericarp portion contained about 20% more reducing sugars and 36% more glucose than the locular portion. No significant differences in soluble solids content or fructose concentration were noted. The locular portion had 48 and 57% higher titratable acidity and citric acid, respectively, than the pericarp, but no differences in malic acid concentration or pH were observed. Cultivars with large locular portion and with high concentration of acids and sugars are those which have previously been found to be of good flavor quality.

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

“…Fructose was the major sugar in all cultivars, whether vineripened or picked green and room-ripened (Table 1). In other tomato cultivars, the free sugars also consisted mainly of fructose and glucose, with fructose present in a slightly increased amount (6,8,20). In vine-ripened fruit, the cherry tomato cultivars had a much higher concentration of both monosaccharides than the large-fruited cultivars, which was in agreement with previous studies (13,22).…”

“…There was no significant difference between cultivars of the same type. Previous workers also found similar locular values (20-25%) for large-fruited cultivars (2) and 35% for a cherry cultivar (20). Differences between cultivars in fruit composition may be attributed to genetic differences and to different proportions of pericarp to locule tissue.…”

“…Differences between cultivars in fruit composition may be attributed to genetic differences and to different proportions of pericarp to locule tissue. It has been established that the locule fraction contains more titratable acidity (3, 7, 9, 15, 16, 20), more citric acid and more or similar malic acid (5,16,20), and less glucose and similar fructose (20) compared to the pericarp portion.…”

Exploring wild alleles from Solanum pimpinellifolium with the potential to improve tomato flavor compounds

“…In addition, flavor is a complex, somewhat subjective trait influenced by taste and aroma. Taste is determined by sweetness and sourness which are influenced by soluble sugars and acids, respectively [39][40][41][42], and aroma is determined by volatile compounds [4,43]. Besides being essential to fruit flavor, sugars and organic acids constitute over 60 % of dry matter and contribute to soluble solids content (SSC) in tomato [44,45].…”

An Approach To Sensory Evaluation Of Horticultural Commodities

“…This is particularly true of fruits, whose various morphological regions differ in composition and flavor characteristics. In tomato, for example, the locular tissue is much higher in organic acids than the pericarp tissue (13), and therefore may have a much different flavor. Composition can vary from the stem to the blossom end of the fruit.…”