Abstract
ABSTRACT Previous studies suggested that modification of storage temperatures at the wholesale warehouse could sufficiently retard ripening to permit harvest of fresh‐market tomatoes at a later maturity, thus allowing for greater flavor development on the vine. Tomatoes (cvs ‘Celebrity’ and ‘Sunny’) were harvested either at the breaker or pink stages of maturity. Simulated wholesale storage was conducted by holding breaker fruit for 3 days at 12°C or 21°C and pink fruit for 3 days at 5°C or 37°C. Short‐term low‐ and high‐temperature storage of pink tomatoes delayed ripening sufficiently to maintain acceptable color and firmness during retail and consumer storage at 21°C for 7 days. Flavor characteristics of tomatoes harvested at the pink stage of maturity were not significantly superior to those of fruit harvested at the breaker stage. Thus, although ripening can be delayed in pink tomatoes during postharvest handling, delaying harvest from the breaker to the pink stage does not offer the flavor advantage to warrant a change in the handling system.
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