Tomato Quality during Short-Term Storage Assessed by Colour and Electronic Nose

• Main Authors: Valeria Messina, Pía Guadalupe Domínguez, Ana Maria Sancho, Noemi Walsöe de Reca, Fernando Carrari, Gabriela Grigioni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2012-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Electrochemistry
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/687429

An assay based on an electronic olfactory system was set to evaluate tomato fruits by sensing the aromatic volatiles during postharvest storage of 21 days at 19±0.5∘C in darkness. Olfactory system measurements were coupled with colour values. Odour profile and senescence parameters were carried out at 7-day intervals. Discriminant function analysis applied to electronic nose data showed three components, accounting for 99.2% of the total variance. In the present assay, separation among groups according to storage time (0, 7, and 14 days) was observed for wildtype. Overexpressed (Money Maker) lines/plants of tomato showed difference between odour profile for day 0 and day 21, even tough a no clear discrimination between 7 and 14 days was observed. Fruit lost weight almost linearly with shelf life (𝑃<0.001) presenting an averaged loss of 21% (𝑟2=0.98) for over-expressed (Money Maker) lines/plants, 13% (𝑟2=0.97) for silenced (Money Maker), and 14% (𝑟2=0.98) for wild type during 21 days of storage. Colour values 𝐿∗, 𝑎∗, and 𝑏∗ data showed that colour properties changed during storage for all the lines considered. Correlations between odour profiles and colour parameter were obtained showing that the electronic nose is a useful technique for monitoring short-term storage of tomato.