Work

Quality of Tomatoes Stored at Chilling Temperatures following Prestorage Heat Treatments and Partial Ripening

Year: 1996

Type: article

Abstract: Mature green `Sunbeam' tomato fruit ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), were treated in varying order with C 2 H 4 , 42°C water for 60 minutes, 38°C air for 48 hours, partial ripening for 48 hours at 20°C, or not treated, and then stored at 2°C for 14 days before ripening at 20°C. Heat treated fruit stored at 2°C and transferred to 20°C ripened normally while 63% of nonheated fruit decayed before reaching red ripe. More chilling injury (CI) developed when C 2 H 4 was applied following heat treatment rather than before. There was more CI in fruit that were 42°C water treated compared with the 38°C air treatment. Less CI developed on fruit that were partially ripened for 2 days at 20°C before a 42°C water treatment rather than following it. At red ripe, nonchilled fruit were firmer than chilled heat treated fruit. Fruit treated in 42°C water were firmer when the heat treatment was applied before the C 2 H 4 treatment rather than following it. Chlorophyll and lycopene content and internal quality characteristics of fruit were similar at the red ripe stage irrespective of C 2 H 4 or heat treatment. Chilling and heat treatments reduced some of the 15 flavor volatiles analyzed. Volatile levels were lower in fruit treated with C 2 H 4 before heat treatment compared with fruit treated with C 2 H 4 following heat treatment. Prestorage heat treatments could allow for storage of mature green tomatoes at low temperatures with little loss in their ability to ripen normally.

Source: HortScience

DOI: 10.21273/hortsci.31.4.642a

Authors: R.E. McDonald, T.G. McCollum, E.A. Baldwin