Abstract:
The effectiveness of a short prestorage hot water rinsing and brushing (HWRB) was tested on decay
incidence, quality parameters, respiration rate and ethylene evolution of pink tomato fruits that were kept
for 14 days at 12°C plus 3 days at 20°C (storage and marketing simulation). Rinsing fresh harvested tomato
at 52°C for 15 s while brushing significantly reduced decay development after storage and marketing
simulation. This prestorage heat treatment maintained better fruit quality as evaluated by firmness, total
soluble solids, acidity, and delayed fruit ripening as measured by significantly slower color development. In
addition, the respiration rate and ethylene evolution of HWRB-52°C treated fruit was significantly lower
than that of untreated fruit during storage and marketing simulation. Scanning electron microscopy
showed that this method removed dirt and even fungal spores from the fruit skin.
