title: Quality comparison of hydroponic tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) ripened on and off vine.
abstract: There is a general belief that the quality of tomatoes ripened on vine is better than tomatoes ripened off the vine, influencing among other parameters, the price of this commodity. We compared the quality of hydroponic tomatoes ripened on and off vine by chemical, physical, and sensory evaluation to find what attributes are affected and to what extent. Lycopene, beta-carotene, total and soluble solids, moisture content, ascorbic acid, acidity, pH, texture, and color were analyzed. Tomatoes ripened on vine had significantly more lycopene, beta-carotene, soluble and total solids, higher a* and lower L*, and were firmer. However, a 100-judge panel rated only the color and overall liking of the vine-ripened tomatoes as more intense than the fruit ripened off vine. Therefore, the chemical and physical differences were mostly not large enough to influence the panelist's perception. The characterization of tomatoes ripened on and off vine may help to guide post-harvest handling and treatment and to improve the quality of tomatoes ripened off vine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, the Center for Advanced Food Technology, NJ-NSCORT (New Jersey-NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Specca
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Janes
mesh_terms: D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005518:Food Preferences; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018527:Hydroponics; D008021:Life Support Systems; D000077276:Lycopene; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D018531:Spacecraft; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D000077276:Lycopene