Quality of fresh tomato fruit stored inside a solar adsorption cooling storage system as function of low pressure treatment

Abstract

This paper assessed the physiological loss in weight, total color development and total soluble solids of stored fresh tomato inside solar adsorption cooling storage system. Fresh and treated tomato stored inside solar adsorption cooling storage system at the temperature range of 10°C to 12°C with an average relative humidity level of 80%. The results showed that tomato stored at ambient condition lost weight 5% after seven days of storage then 0.008 MPa treated tomato for 15 minutes, which lost 4.6% after 25 days of storage inside a solar adsorption cooling system. Soluble solids decreased slightly from 7.1% to 6.6% after 25 days storage. The skin brightness L* values of stored tomato at ambient condition increased from 46.1 to 47.9 after seven days of storage at ambient condition and tomato treated with 0.008 MPa treatment for 15 min stored inside solar adsorption cooling storage system decreased from 44.7 to 35.5 after 25 days of storage. The skin redness a* values of stored tomato at ambient condition increased from 18.8 to 20.5 after seven days of storage but tomato treated with 0.008 MPa treatment for 15 min stored inside solar adsorption cooling storage system showed a* values increased from 20.4 to 21.4 after 25 days of storage. The skin yellowness b* value of stored tomato at ambient condition decreased from 10.2 to 7.6 after seven days of storage and tomato treated with 0.008 MPa treatment for 15 min stored inside solar adsorption cooling system decreased from 8.9 to 8.6 after 25 days of storage. These results suggest that the low-cost and energy-saving solar adsorption cooling storage system with low pressure treatment method is useful to keep the fresh tomato fruit quality.