The demand for daily consumption of tomato fruit is increasing immensely. Nevertheless, the fruit is exposed to mechanical damage, shrinking, and softening as the maturity stages, handling, and storage are inappropriate, thereby affecting the texture. The study aimed to assess the texture profile, pectinase activity, and physicochemical parameters in tomato fruit at different maturity stages and storage temperatures. The fruits were harvested at 1-4 weeks after pollination and stored at a temperature of 16 ºC and 25ºC. There was an increase in the redness color (a*), TSS content, weight loss, respiration rate, and ethylene production, while the hardness, lightness color (L*), pH, and TA decreased with an increase in maturity stages at different storage temperatures. The higher Polygalacturonase (PG) and Pectin methylesterase (PME) enzyme activities were observed at 25 ºC compared to storage temperature of 16 ºC. It was confirmed that pectinase activity extremely affected the texture profile. For commercial purposes, it is suggested that tomatoes are harvested at 2nd and 3rd week after pollination for long distance transportation and at 4th week for fresh consumption and stored at a temperature of 16 °C.
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.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.