Influence of preharvest elevated carbon dioxide on the storage life and composition of ripened tomatoes
1996
Md Shahidul Islam (Kagawa Univ., Miki, Kagawa (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture. Dept. of Agroindustrial Sciences) | Matsui, T. | Yoshida, Y.
Preharvest elevated CO2 enrichment throughout the fruit growing period affected the shelf-life of ripe tomatoes (Lycipersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Lady First) during storage. The CO2 treated fruits lasted up to 20 days during storage but it was 15 days in control fruit. Citric acid, malic acid, oxalic acid, glucose, fructose, total sugar, acid invertase activity (Beta-fructofuranoside fructohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.26) and red colour were significantly influenced by preharvest CO2 enrichment. Citric acid was the predominant organic acid and like malic and oxalic acids, its concentration decreased with storage period. The CO2 enriched tomatoes had significantly higher reducing sugars and their concentration increased with storage duration but there was no significant difference in sucrose accumulation. The increase in acid invertase activity from the day of harvest was accompanied by changes in reducing sugar contents and the elevated CO2 showed higher invertase activity than in control. Furthermore, the elevated CO2 resulted in higher red colour accumulation in enriched fruits. Thus, preharvest application of elevated CO2 extends the shelf-life of ripe tomatoes and increases sugar content and enhances fruit colouring during storage.
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