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Title: AROMA VOLATILE PROFILES ARE ALTERED IN TOMATO FRUIT TISSUES WITH INTERNAL BRUISING

Author
item MORETTI, CELSO - UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item Baldwin, Elizabeth - Liz
item SARGENT, STEVEN - UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item HUBER, DONALD - UNIV. OF FLORIDA

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/4/2001
Publication Date: 4/1/2002
Citation: Moretti, C.L., Baldwin, E.A., Sargent, S.A., Huber, D.J. Internal bruising alters aroma volatile profiles in tomato fruit tissues. HortScience. 2002. v. 37(2). p. 378-382.

Interpretive Summary: Consumers are often dissatisfied with the flavor of fresh tomatoes. There are many reasons for this, one of which may be the bruising incurred by some fruit during shipping and handling. A study was undertaken to see if flavor compounds were altered in bruised tomato tissue, which were found to have off-flavors on taste tests. Flavor in tomato is comprised of sugars, acids and aroma compounds. It was found that aroma compounds were altered in bruised tomato tissue and may, therefore, be responsible for the off- flavor.

Technical Abstract: Tomato fruit, cv. Solar Set, were harvested at the mature-green stage and treated with ethylene at room temperature. Upon reaching breaker stage, individual fruits were dropped onto a smooth rigid surface to induce internal bruising and were stored along with undropped fruits at room temperature. At the table-ripe stage, pericarp, placental and locule tissues were excised and analyzed for evidence of bruising and for aroma volatiles. The impact bruising altered volatile profiles of the three different tissues from that of undropped control tissues. This was most pronounced in the locular tissue, which has been shown to be more sensitive to bruising than the others tested. trans-2-Hexenal from pericarp tissue; 1-penten-3-one, cis-3-hexenal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, cis-3-hexenol, and 2-isobutylthiazole from locule tissue; and 1-penten-3-one, and B-ionone from placental tissue were significantly different in concentration from corresponding tissues in undropped controls. Changes in these aroma compounds may be due to disruption of cellular structure, with consequent changes in ionic strength, pH, and enzymatic activity.