CHANGES OF FLAVOR COMPONENTS OF TOMATO FRUITS DURING ARTIFICIAL RIPENING

The change of volatile components at various ripening stages of field grown tomato fruits and also those of artificially ripened tomato fruits from various ripening stages at 20°C under dark or natural light, were investigated. Volatile components were collected by steam-distillation and headspace trapping method using Porapak Q and cellulose powder, and analysed by GC and GC-MS. 1) From the steam-distillation were identified 79 components, and 68 components by headspace trapping, which were aldehydes, alcohols, phenols, ketones, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, terpenes and others. 2) Green tomato-like odor of artificially ripened tomato fruits to the stage more than “red“ from stage “mature-green” was stronger than that of field-ripened tomato fruits at stage “red” and further, tomato juice-like odor of artificially ripened tomato fruits at 20°C in the dark was stronger than that of field-ripened tomato fruits at stage “red”. 3) Volatile components in the steam-distillate of field-grown tomato fruits generally increased with ripening, particularly middle and high boiling components. On the other hand, volatile components in the headspace showed complicated changes in the course of ripening, especially in the case of artificially ripened tomato fruits. © 1979, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.