Effects of hot water and sodium bicarbonate treatments, singly or in combination, on cracking, residual procymidone contents, and quality of mature red cherry tomato fruit.

摘要

Mature red cherry tomatoes were treated with hot water (HWT) at 45 degrees C, and/or with 2% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate solution (SBC), alone or in combination (HWT + SBC) for 10 min, then stored at 20 degrees C for 6 days. HWT alone caused cracking, while no cracking was observed on SBC-treated, or on HWT + SBC-treated tomatoes. SEM showed that the SBC + HWT treatment made the tomato surface relatively homogeneous, compared with untreated control tomatoes or either treatment alone. The combined treatment also reduced the residual procymidone content of tomatoes, compared with individual treatments. After storage, tomatoes from the combined treatment had higher skin firmness and titratable acidity, with a lower incidence and lesion diam. of grey rot caused by Botrytis cinerea, compared with untreated control tomatoes or either treatment alone. HWT alone was not suitable for mature red cherry tomatoes, while a combination of HWT plus SBC has potential as a commercial treatment to avoid cracking, improve safety and maintain quality.