‘도태랑’ 토마토의 이산화탄소 및 이산화염소 복합 처리에 따른 저장기간 중 품질 향상 효과

Abstract

Pink-colored tomatoes have higher sugar content than the red-colored tomatoes; however, they are more prone to fruit cracking during cultivation and transportation owing to their lower firmness. Short-term high CO2 and ClO2 gas treatments were used to prevent chilling injury and reduce decay incidence during the cold storage of tomato ‘Dotaerang’ fruits (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. cv. Dotaerang). Harvested tomatoes were treated with 30% CO2, 60% CO2, and 30% CO2 combined with 10 ppm ClO2 (mixed with ambient air) for 3 h, and then stored at 4°C and 20°C. Fruit quality was assessed after storage at 4°C for 14 days and/or transferred to 20°C for 3 days (14+3 days), and 20°C for 13 days. Cold storage and CO2 treatment inhibited the softening process and delayed fruit surface color development and lycopene accumulation in tomatoes (‘Dotaerang’). A high positive correlation was found between the a* value and lycopene content of tomatoes during storage. The chilling injury index was confirmed to be reduced by cold storage and 30% CO2 treatment. In particular, the 30% CO2 combined with 10 ppm ClO2 treatment was highly effective in preventing the decay of tomatoes during long-term cold storage after harvest. These results suggest that pre-storage high CO2 and/or ClO2 treatment and low-temperature storage can effectively extend the shelf life and improve the quality of pink-colored tomato ‘Dotaerang’ fruits.