RIPENING CHARACTERISTICS OF TOMATOES STORED AT 12-DEGREES-C AND 2-DEGREES-C FOLLOWING A PRESTORAGE HEAT-TREATMENT

Mature green tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) were held at 38-degrees-C for 3 days and then placed at 12-degrees-C for 2 weeks or 2-degrees-C for 3 weeks, before being removed to 20-degrees-C for 5 days. During the heat treatment, ethylene production, lycopene synthesis, chlorophyll and cell wall degradation were all inhibited, while respiration was enhanced. The tomatoes held at 12-degrees-C ripened during storage and the heat-treated tomatoes ripened faster. At the end of storage and shelf-life the heated tomatoes were redder and had higher soluble solids content than control tomatoes. The tomatoes held at 2-degrees-C did not ripen during storage. After removal to 20-degrees-C, control tomatoes developed chilling injury, while heated tomatoes ripened normally. Prestorage heat treatment of mature green tomatoes permits storage for longer periods of time and at lower temperatures than currently recommended with no loss of their ability to ripen normally.