Chemical Composition and Physical Properties of Pericarp, Locule, and Placental Tissues of Tomatoes with Internal Bruising

Abstract

<jats:p>`Solar Set' tomatoes (<jats:italic>Lycopersicon esculentum</jats:italic> Mill.) were harvested at the mature-green stage of development and treated with 50 μL·L<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> ethylene at 20 °C. Breaker-stage fruit were dropped from 40 cm onto a solid surface to induce internal bruising and held along with undropped fruit at 20 °C. At the ripe stage, pericarp, locule, and placental tissues were analyzed for soluble sugars, vitamin C, pigments, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, pericarp electrolyte leakage, extractable polygalacturonase activity, and locule tissue consistency. Bruising significantly affected chemical composition and physical properties of pericarp and locule tissues, but not placental tissue. For bruised locule tissue, carotenoids, vitamin C, and titratable acidity were 37%, 15%, and 15%, lower, respectively, than unbruised fruit. For bruised pericarp tissue, vitamin C content was 16% lower than for unbruised tissue, whereas bruising increased electrolyte leakage and extractable polygalacturonase activity by 25% and 33%, respectively. Evidence of abnormal ripening following impact bruising was confined to locule and pericarp tissues and may be related to the disruption of cell structure and altered enzyme activity.</jats:p>

Effect of Physical Damage and Storage of Pineapple Fruits on their Suitability for Juice Production

“…In bruised tomato fruits, the total vitamin C content was about 15 % lower than in unbruised fruits (Moretti et al . ). This was not the case in our study.…”

“…For fruits such as guava, mango and peach, research shows, among others, loss of acid content caused by mechanical impact (Moretti et al . ; Mattiuz and Durigan ; Durigan et al . ; Kasat et al .…”

“…Some of the consequences of physical damage are internal quality loss with flavor and nutritional changes (Durigan et al 2005). For fruits such as guava, mango and peach, research shows, among others, loss of acid content caused by mechanical impact (Moretti et al 1998;Mattiuz and Durigan 2001;Durigan et al 2005;Kasat et al 2007). Loss of vitamin C has also been reported for tomato (Moretti et al 1999).…”

The effects of bruising and temperature on enzyme activity and textural qualities of tomato juice

“…It is speculated by the tomato processing community that the more extensively bruised a tomato is when it reaches the processor, the less desirable the quality of the finished product. Previous studies have evaluated the effects of bruising on fruits intended for the fresh market, which are stored for days, weeks or months . Extended storage allows for damage due to bruising to develop and other tissue degradation to occur, but very few studies have been reported on the effects of bruising within the short timeframe typical of harvest and transportation and even fewer on how that translates into processed product quality.…”

“…Previous studies have evaluated the effects of bruising on fruits intended for the fresh market, which are stored for days, weeks or months. 14,15 Extended storage allows for damage due to bruising to develop and other tissue degradation to occur, but very few studies have been reported on the effects of bruising within the short timeframe typical of harvest and transportation 5 and even fewer on how that translates into processed product quality. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the effects of current harvest and transportation technology on the enzymatic activity and textural quality of the final processed product, (2) using controlled studies, to evaluate the effects of various applied forces, temperatures and hold times that a tomato may experience during harvest and transportation on the enzymatic activity and textural quality of the final processed product and (3) to measure the temperature dependence of PME activity over a range of temperatures and evaluate how that activity translates into textural changes.…”