The high-water content of tomato predisposes it to spoilage by bacteria and fungi that can pose significant health threats to consumers. However, parameters such as environment and human factors influence the rate of contamination and microbial species involved. Hence, the present study aims to determine the various pathogenic bacteria and fungi associated with tomatoes sold in some markets in southern Benin. A total of 70 tomatoes were sampled, out of which 35 undamaged tomatoes and 35 spoilt tomatoes were processed for examination of bacterial and fungi contamination by standard culture technique following standard protocols. Results indicated that out of the 70 tomatoes samples analyzed, 85.71% are contaminated with enteric bacteria. Escherichia coli was the commonest bacterial contaminant. Foodborne bacteria with outbreak potentials were also detected in analyzed samples. Fungi isolated belong to genera of Aspergillus, Fusarium and Mucor. The most identified species are Aspergillus ochraceus (98.91%), Fusarium oxysporum (84.28%), Aspergillus niger (72.85%) and Aspergillus versicolor (35.71%). The presence of these foodborne pathogens raises concern on public health risks associated with the consumption of fresh tomatoes. Efforts should be made to advise farmers to avoid the use of contaminated wastewater for irrigation during cultivation, and discourage purchasing spoilt tomatoes.

Tomato is an important horticultural product cultivated worldwide and a major crop subject of studies. The present study therefore aims to review the state of the art of research on tomato. To do this, search was carried out in scientific databases (Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed and Agora), A suitable scientific research works were selected and analyzed. From the results, it appears that tomato is a fruit vegetable, belongs to Solanaceae family and cultivated in many countries of the world and in various climates. Its production can be done in field, but also under controlled conditions by using of artificial lighting, heaters, as well as fertigation to produce high quality tomatoes. Nutritionally, regular intake of tomato fruit increase levels of carotenoids, lycopene, vitamin C, and polyphenols compounds in the daily diet. Regarding the preservation of tomato, research papers mentioned that tomato, like any plant, is subject to agronomic constraints, such as abiotic (light, water supply, salinity, floor structure) and biotic constraints (bacterial, fungal and viruses’ attacks). Mechanical damage also influenced external quality traits of tomato. Finally, this review paper presents a brief overview of some recent studies concerning the control of tomato diseases, the valorization of tomato fruits, as well as the using of tomato waste as a bioresource for lycopene extraction. However, it would be interesting that future investigations revolve around the search for more alternatives methods to control bacterial, fungal or virus attacks, such as the use of natural compounds, in particular those from plant origin.