Effects of Stage of Maturity, Storage, and Cultivar on Some Quality Attributes of Tomatoes1

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Abstract
Fruits of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill cvs. Jet Star and Floramerica) were harvested at various maturity stages and ripened at 20°C and 80% relative humidity. Differences in pH between field-ripened and storage-ripened fruits of either cultivar were not significant. Ascorbic acid of ‘Jet Star’ fruits increased slightly during ripening both on and off the plant; ‘Floramerica’ fruits showed no changes in ascorbic acid content during ripening. Field-ripened fruits had significantly higher ascorbic acid than storage-ripened fruits. The β-carotene content significantly increased with ripening for both cultivars, with no significant differences between field- and storage-ripened fruits. Fruits of ‘Jet Star’ contained more β-carotene than ‘Floramerica’ fruits. Total sugars increased during ripening up to the firm ripe stage. Total sugar content of field-ripened fruits was significantly higher than storage-ripened fruits in ‘Jet Star’ but not in ‘Floramerica’. Fruits harvested in the breaker stage retained the highest total sugar content during storage.

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