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American Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2024, 12(2), 42-64
DOI: 10.12691/ajfst-12-2-1
Open AccessArticle

Quality Attributes, Physiology, and Postharvest Technologies of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum Esculentum) – A Review

Uchenna Emmanuel Umeohia1, and Abiodun Adekunle Olapade1

1Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Pub. Date: March 26, 2024
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Cite this paper:
Uchenna Emmanuel Umeohia and Abiodun Adekunle Olapade. Quality Attributes, Physiology, and Postharvest Technologies of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum Esculentum) – A Review. American Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2024; 12(2):42-64. doi: 10.12691/ajfst-12-2-1

Abstract

One of the horticultural crops that is grown and consumed extensively worldwide is the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Tomato is rich in dietary fibers, phosphorus, iron, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and sugars, which underscores its high nutritional value. From consumer perspective, visual appeal, firmness, taste, and dietary value are the attributes that determine the desirable properties of fresh tomatoes. Quality losses after harvest of tomato are attributed to a complex mix of physiological, pathological, microbiological, and mechanical processes. The rate of physiological processes such as respiration, transpiration and ethylene production markedly affect the rate of senescence in fresh tomatoes. Postharvest handling systems are designed to decrease the consequences of these degradation activities on the quality of fresh tomato. To preserve quality and lengthen storage life, management procedures including plucking, cleaning, sanitizing, initial cooling, sorting, and classifying, packing, storage, and shipping are crucial. Low temperature preservation, modified atmosphere packaging, 1-Methylcyclopropene, heating treatment, ultrasound treatment, UV-radiation, edible coatings are some of the techniques for physical preservation of tomatoes, while chlorinated water, oxonated water, electrolysed oxidizing water are chemical methods. The aim of this review paper was to x-ray the quality attributes of tomatoes, as affected by natural processes of its physiology, and postharvest preservation technologies for fresh tomatoes.

Keywords:
tomatoes postharvest physiology senescence preservation

Creative CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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