Effect of Harvest Maturity on the Final Fruit Composition of Cherry and Large-fruited Tomato Cultivars

Abstract

Abstract Fruit of 2 cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme Alef.) cultivars [‘Large Red Cherry’ (‘LRC’) and ‘Small Fry’ (‘SF’)] and 2 large-fruited tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cultivars (‘Duke’ and ‘Sunny’) were harvested green, ripened at 23°C, and analyzed for sugars and organic acids 6 days after breaker stage. Both fructose and glucose concentration decreased in ‘LRC’ and ‘SF’ fruit with less-mature harvested fruit. Maturity at harvest had no effect on the concentration of either sugar in ‘Duke’ or ‘Sunny’ fruit. ‘LRC’ had the highest fructose and glucose concentration among cultivars. Increased citric acid concentration was found with less-mature harvested fruit, except in ‘LRC’. Malic acid concentration within cultivars was similar in the fruit harvested more mature, but decreased with less-mature fruit in ‘Duke’ and ‘Sunny’. ‘LRC’ and ‘SF’ fruit had more citric and malic acid than ‘Duke’ or ‘Sunny’. Cherry tomato cultivars had a higher percentage of locular tissue than the large-fruited cultivars.