Abstract
In order to help the choice and recommendation of cultivars with the greater mechanical resistance of fruits, this research aimed to determine the mechanical resistance and biometric and physicochemical characteristics of tomato cultivars for industrial processing. Eleven processing tomato cultivar fruits cultivar were used (IT761, H9992, H9553, AP533, Advance, N901, BR-Sena, U2006, HY26, HY37 and HY68). Tomatoes firmness was influenced by several factors, including thickness, epidermal cell shape, and internal structures. In general terms, fruits more resistant to compression and puncture presented low longitudinal diameter (55-59 mm), cross-sectional diameter (42-45 mm), scar diameter (5.8-6.6 mm), pericarp thickness (5.9-7.7 mm), fresh weight (56 - 70 g), volume (61-77 cm3) and ash (0.34-0.40 g 100 g-1), and high moisture content (96.2-96.6 g 100 g-1), and pectin content (0.39-0.47 mg 100 g-1). The fruits showing a better mechanical resistance come from AP533, IT761, HY37 and H9992 cultivars, which should be recommended for cultivation in order to reduce losses during harvest, bulk handling and transportation.
Highlights
IntroductionTomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is valuable as raw material for industry, being transformed in several intermediate products (concentrated pulps and cubes), and final products (extracts, sauces, juices, etc.)
Tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is valuable as raw material for industry, being transformed in several intermediate products, and final products
Tomatoes longitudinal diameter ranged 25.1%, from 54.99 to 68.80 mm with the smallest values observed in H9992, HY26, HY37 and HY68 cultivars, while larger values occurred in BRSena and U2006 cultivars (Table 1)
Summary
Tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is valuable as raw material for industry, being transformed in several intermediate products (concentrated pulps and cubes), and final products (extracts, sauces, juices, etc.). Harvesting and transport operations can cause damage to fruit and large losses. The firmness of fruit pulp is determined by cohesion strength between pectins, which is modified by the action of pectinolytic enzymes, converting from insoluble to soluble form, resulting in a loss of cohesion between cells, and softening ripe fruit (Pirrello et al, 2009). Tomato firmness under compression and skin puncture are mechanical properties relevant on characterization of processing tomatoes and are related to ripening rate and susceptibility to mechanical damage during harvest and transport (Li et al, 2017; Stropek & Golacki, 2015), taking into account that fruits are exposed to mechanical stress during those operations that can cause damage by cutting and/or crushing, and causing qualitative and quantitative losses (Dimitrios et al, 2018; Viskelis et al, 2015)
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