EFFECT OF SOME EDIBLE COATING MATERIALS ON QUALITY AND POSTHARVEST ROTS OF CHERRY TOMATO FRUITS DURING COLD STORAGE

Abstract

This study was carried out during two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019 on cherry tomato F1 hybrid Cherubino which harvested at turning stage (25% red colour) from a private Farm at El Salhia El Gadeda District, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The aim of this work was to study the effect of dipping the fruits in solutions of some edible materials, (arabic gum, cellulose, pectin, xanthan) on maintaining quality and storability of cherry tomato fruits and postharvest rotsduring storageat 13°C and 90-95% relative humidity for 40 days. Weight loss percentage, general appearance, fruit firmness, TSS, titratable acidity, lycopene fruit content, pH values, vitamin C, dry matter and sensory evaluation as well aspostharvest rots for fruits treated with arabic gum at 5% or 10% and pectin at 2%, were slightly affected by the prolonging of the storage period comparing with untreated fruits and other treatments. General appearance, fruit firmness, titratable acidity, pH values, vitamin C and dry matter (%) were decreased as the storage period prolonged, whereas weight loss percentage, TSS and lycopene fruit content were increased. Coating cherry tomato fruits with arabic gum at 5 or 10% and pectin at 2% were the superior treatments during storage at 13°C and 90-95% RH in reducing weight loss (%), lycopene fruit content and TSS, meanwhile maintaining general appearance, fruit firmness, titratable acidity, pH values, vitamin C and dry matter (%). In addition, sensory evaluation showed that 10% or 5% arabic gum coating maintained the overall quality of the tomato fruit during storage, meanwhile treating cherry tomato fruits with arabic gum at 10% was the most effective treatment against fruits rots in both artificially and naturally infected fruits followed by arabic gum at 5%.