Snap beans packed in low density polyolefin film and stored at 5°C and 10°C were removed at days 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 for quality evaluation. Chlorophyll content of beans stored at 5°C was not influenced by storage period. Pods stored at 10°C showed significant increase in chlorophyll after 4 days storage followed by a decline as time of storage increased. Hue angle and tristimulus a* corresponded more closely to chlorophyll content and were better indicators of snap bean color than chroma and tristimulus L* and b*. Weight loss, seed percentage and ascorbic acid were higher in pods stored at 10°C than in those stored at 5°C. Storage temperature and period had no influence on texture or soluble solids content.

Acidification, addition of dimethyl dicarbonate and a mixture of potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate and storage temperature were related to microbiological stability and quality of tomato j&e. Whether iuices were acidified CDH 4.0 to 3.71 or nonacidified. dimethvl dicarbonate and sorbate/be;zoate were highly effective in diminishcng mold and yeast count at 5°C and 20°C. Dimethyl dicarbonate in juices acidified to pH 3.7 and stored at 5°C was most effective in controlling plate counts, followed by sorbate/benzoate in juices acidified to pH 3.7 and stored at 5°C and 20°C. Tomato juice treated with dimethyl dicarbonate had lower amounts of ascorbic acid, total amino acids, fructose, glucose, lycopene and p-carotene.

Lowering the pH of tomatoes to pH 4.0 and pH 3.5 with citric and formic acids, reducing the processing time in a boiling water bath to 20 and 15 min, respectively, and compensating for tartness of added acids with sucrose and fructose resulted in significant increases in the drained weight, total acidity, soluble solids, sodium hydroxide‐soluble pectin, sodium hexametaphosphate‐soluble pectin, and palatability. the increases in these attributes were greater as the pH dropped to 3.5. Lesser amounts of formic acid and fructose were required to reduce the pH and balance tartness. When fructose was added instead of sucrose the drained weight improved.

Seven different quality attributes were assessed during the early, middle and late phases of harvest for years 1990-1992: marketable berry yield, berry weight, berry firmness, berry color (tri stimulus chromameter “a” value), percent soluble solids, percent titratable acidity (percent cinic acid) and the ratio between soluble solids and titratable acidity. Marketable berry yield was influenced by harvest year, harvest season and cultivar. Berry weight varied substantially between cultivars and between seasons. Berry color remained stable through the harvest seasons with slight differences in color between cultivars. Berry firmness differences were generally associated with cultivar and varied little through the harvest seasons. Berry flavor (indicated by the ratio between soluble solids and acidity) tended to remain stable through the harvest seasons with considerable differences between cultivars. Work was supported by USDA grant 90-34150-5022 and the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station.

Tke effects of firmness of raw tomatoes on selected quality characteristics of canned products was the primary objective of this study. Firm fruits, as sorted with Holme's Vibratory Sorter, were found to be signiJicantly (PI .05) higher in drained weight, Agtron E-5 color readings, total acidity, sodium hexametaphosphate-soluble, and sodium hydroxide-soluble pectic substances, and lower in pH, soluble solids, soluble solia!dacid ratio, and water solublepectin than soft and unsorted fruits. In determining the sensory quality, jirm fruits were superior in flavor, texture, and overall quality but inferior in color compared to soft and unsorted fruits. Tkis investigation revealed that sorting fresh tomatoes with a vibratory sorter and canning only the firm fruits had a positive impact on improving the quality of canned products.