Effect of modified atmosphere on the conservation of minimally processed tomatoes (solanum lycopersicum) long life variety

Abstract

The tomato is a fruit rich in nutrients like vitamin C and carotenoids, which are important for health. The aim of this research was to evaluate the behavior of flesh color, resistance to compression and shear and the content of sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) over the modified atmosphere storage of minimally processed fruit. Slices of long life tomatoes were packed in two different modified atmospheres in two types of package and stored at 4 ° C ± 1 ° C for a period of 15 days, to prevent deterioration of the fruit. The analyzes conducted during storage were color (expressed by the parameters L *, a * and b *), firmness (through resistance to compression and shear) and sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose). There was monitoring for variations of these properties on days 1, 5, 10 and 15. The experimental design was completely randomized with design structure 2 x 2 plus a control. The slices of treatment 1 (5% O2 5% CO2 90% N2 PET film) and 3 (2% O2 10% CO2 88% N2 PET film) were those that showed the least degradation through the parameters evaluated.