Effect of Ozone on the Qualities Changes of Sida Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) During Storage under Refrigeration

Abstract

Ozone could be seen as an alternative to refrigeration in order to enhance tomato shelf life in areas where cold facilities are not available. However, the effect of ozone on tomato quality is still unclear. Therefore, The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ozone dissolved in water (100 mg/l) on the quality of sida tomatoes during storage under refrigeration. The selected quality parameters were the color, total soluble solid, weight loss, ascorbic acid content, lycopene content, yeast and mould and total plate count. Results showed that the application of ozone delayed both the development of red color (a*), yellow color (b*), weight loss, yeast and mould and total plate count (p<0.05). The ozone treatments slowed down the development of the coloring process and lycopene content, while increasing of total plate count of treated sida tomatoes (100 ppm, 30 min) after storage at 6±2 o
C for 20 days.