A short prestorage hot water rinse and brushing reduces decay development in tomato, while maintaining its quality

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.