Effect of Hot Water Treatments on Shelf Life of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in 2015 academic year at Wolaita Sodo University College of Agriculture Department of Horticulture laboratory room to study the effects of different postharvest treatments to extend shelf life and to reduce postharvest loss and maintain quality of tomato. The study was consist of four levels of temperature treatments as T1= 50⁰C, T2= 40⁰C,   T3=30⁰C, and T4= control using tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), cv. Roma VF. The experiment was laid out using completely randomized design, (CRD) with three replications. The post-harvest losses in horticultural products are the major problems in most developing countries that have tomatoes been reported from 20 to 50%. In this work, the effect of tap water, 30ºc, 40ºc and 50ºc hot water dipping for 20 minutes on quality and reducing decay of cheap tomatoes were studied. Fruits were harvested at mature green stage and after treatments were done, they were stored at ambient lower temperature and pH for 11 days. Quality parameters including weight loss, color development and shelf life were analyzed after 3 days of storage. The recorded data were analyzed using analysis of variance and the means of different parameters were compared by LSD. Significant variations were observed in relation to most of the parameters studied. The result showed that there is significant difference between treatments (P< 0.05), the hot water treatment using 50⁰C is more suitable than other treatment temperatures, for 11 days storage life of tomato fruits i.e, 50ºc hot water dipping for 20 minutes delayed the ripening rate by reducing the fruit softening, weight loss, and chlorophyll degradation, in contrast fruit ripening was accelerated in untreated (control) one. The post-harvest decay that was the main quality factor in this experiment, significantly reduced in treated fruits with hot water treatment.

Keywords: Tomato, temperature, hot water, shelf life, weight loss and color change.