New research from the University of California, Davis, examines changes in tomatoes at the molecular level to better understand what happens during postharvest handling and cold storage.
The findings, published in the journal Horticulture Research, are a first step toward establishing optimal tomato handling and storage guidelines and could reduce food loss and waste, Diane M. Beckles, the senior author on the research and a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, said in a news release.
“Growers need the flexibility of being able to harvest fruit at different times to maximize profitability,” Beckles said. “We want to extend shelf life but lose as little quality as possible. Looking at how these processes are regulated at multiple levels — including changes in the activity of genes and connecting them to processes that are important to quality — is key to a better understanding.”
When growers harvest early or store at low temperatures, fruit can suffer, she said.
In the research, the scientists monitored differences in hormones, DNA makeup, gene expression and other biological activities when the fruit were stored at different temperatures, Jiaqi Zhou, the lead author on the paper and doctoral candidate in horticulture and agronomy, said in the release.
“We’re trying to understand why the quality is different between the postharvest and the fresh harvest fruit using molecular biology approaches,” Zhou said in the release.
Postharvest fruit refers to fruit that undergo various handling processes, such as early harvesting and low-temperature storage.
Researchers examined unripened green fruit warmed to room temperature after being stored at 41 degrees, 54.5 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Storage at 41 degrees led to poor fruit quality but the longest storage time, while the fruit quality at 68 degrees was good but had a shorter storage time, the release said. At 54.5 degrees the fruit had acceptable quality and a moderately long shelf life.
The need to reduce loss is there, Beckles said, because 30% of harvested fruits and veggies worldwide are never eaten due to damage, spoiling or appearance.
“This is absolutely unacceptable, given nutritional insecurity and the difficulty in successfully growing crops in the face of climate change,” she said. “Any research that helps us to understand shelf life and qualities is important in helping to reduce the percentage of fruit that would potentially be lost or wasted.”
The work was supported by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Henry A. Jastro Graduate Research awards and the Ministry of Higher Education in Thailand, the release said.
