Review on factors affecting the quality and antioxidant properties of tomatoes

Abstract

Postharvest losses in tomatoes are not only quantitative but also qualitative losses which directly can have a negative impact on consumer's preference, nutritional quality and income of producers. Therefore, it is important to identify factors that can affect the postharvest quality and antioxidant composition of tomatoes. Tomato quality is an outcome of several factors including cultivar selection, environmental conditions where it grows and preharvest practices carried out during production. Preharvest practices carried out during production that affects the postharvest quality need to be considered thoroughly. Harvesting at proper maturity stage and ripening conditions are critical and must be carefully established for each cultivar. Knowledge of preharvest factors that affect the quality and antioxidant composition of tomato fruits and acquiring the skill of management can play a role on the production of best quality fruits at harvest, which in turn directly affect postharvest quality and nutritional composition. Therefore, it is of great significance to know the preharvest factors that can help to produce superior quality tomato fruits and equally important to use proper postharvest handling and management technologies, to maintain the quality and nutritional composition of the fruits after harvest. This review is therefore conducted to emphasize on some preharvest and postharvest factors that can affect the postharvest qualities, antioxidant properties and shelf life of tomatoes.

Antioxidant Properties, γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Content, and Physicochemical Characteristics of Tomato Cultivars

“…Similar results were recorded from different studies supporting the variation of lycopene content among cultivars. Its amount in fresh tomato and tomato products shows variation depending on the cultivars and other factors [11]. According to Dominguez et al [44], the amount of lycopene could range from 19 to 65 mg kg −1 fresh weight in ripened tomato fruits.…”

“…In addition to the above-stated antioxidant properties and GABA content, the acceptance of tomato fruit by consumers is highly dependent on physicochemical characteristics such as firmness, color, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and Brix acid ratio (BAR) [11]. The physical properties such as color, shape, firmness, size, and absence of defects are the important components that determine the appearance.…”

“…Color transformation, flavor changes, and loss of firmness are changes that take place during the maturation and ripening process [12,13]. The postharvest quality of tomatoes develops during the growth of the product and is dependent on several factors such as growing environment, agronomic practices, fertilization, and many other pre-harvest and post-harvest factors [11,14,15]. Moreover, research results have revealed the variation among tomato cultivars in their antioxidant properties and physicochemical properties [15][16][17].…”

Preharvest Methyl Jasmonate Treatment Increased the Antioxidant Activity and Glucosinolate Contents of Hydroponically Grown Pak Choi

“…Plant-based foods are rich sources of bioactive compounds that provide significant health benefits beyond essential nutrition. A minimum intake of 400 g of fruits and vegetables, excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers, is recommended per day for the prevention of chronic diseases [ 1 , 2 ]. Recent studies even indicate the importance of higher intakes than the daily general recommendations, and special attention has been paid towards edible crops that are rich in phytochemicals due to their antioxidant activity for the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Perubahan Aktivitas Antioksidan dan Total Mikroba Salak Pondoh Selama Penyimpanan dengan Asam Hypoiodous (HIO)

“…Penurunan aktivitas antioksidan total pada buah matang dapat terjadi karena berhubungan dengan mekanisme pertahanan buah dalam melawan radikal yang banyak dihasilkan selama proses perkembangan buah. Buah yang dipetik terlalu tua memiliki kadar antioksidan yang lebih rendah dibandingkan buah yang dipetik pada usia matang (Tilahun et al, 2017). Penurunan suhu selama penyimpanan juga dapat memberikan dampak pada kadar fitokimia atau aktivitas antioksidan (Li et al, 2012).…”