Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important food commodity from nutritional and commercial point of view, however, freshly harvested tomato has shorter shelf life in the market. Tomato coated with gum Arabic (5-20% solution) was evaluated during 16 day storage at 24 +/- 1 degrees C. Firmness of uncoated fruits was significantly (p <= 0.05) lower and weight loss higher. Uncoated fruits had higher total solids, lower acidity and uneven pH. L and b values decreased while a value increased. Hue angle of fruits decreased and total color change increased, significantly. Chroma and browning index increased slightly while the color index increased significantly. The kinetic models of color change were dependent on gum concentration. Coated fruits had good sensory acceptability till 8-12 days. Tomato strategies to preserve its physico-chemical and sensorial characteristics have significance for grower, processor and seller. We observed that gum Arabic coating effectively preserved different quality attributes of tomato fruits at even elevated storage temperature for longer time.