Alternative technologies for tomato post-harvest quality preservation

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important crop cultivated and consumed worldwide. It provides a wide variety of nutrients and many health-related benefits to the human body. Tomato production can improve the livelihoods of small-scale producers by creating jobs and serving as source of income for both rural and semi urban dwellers. However, postharvest losses make its production unprofitable in these parts of the world. Postharvest losses in tomatoes can be as high as 42% globally. Fresh tomato is one of the most consumed fruits and the preservation of its quality and shelf-life extension is a continuous challenge. An understanding of fruit deterioration factors allows the investigation of new approaches to reach this objective. Fruit preservation is achieved by destroying enzymes and micro-organisms, and reducing physiological disorders, using treatments such as, refrigeration, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), edible coatings, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), chlorinated water (HIPO) and temperature. In this review, a description of action, advantages and disadvantages of each preservation treatment, and corresponding effects on tomato quality and safety are presented.