Yield, quality and antioxidants of peeled tomato as affected by genotype and industrial processing in southern Italy

Abstract

Research was carried out on processing tomato in San Severo (Tavoliere delle Puglie, Foggia, Italy) in order to compare four long-type fruit hybrids oriented to peeled produce (Abbundo, Umex, Superpeel, Taylor), using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The hybrid Superpeel reached the highest marketable yield due to the highest fruit number and mean weight; along the peeling chain, Umex and Taylor showed the highest processing efficiency. Titratable acidity and sodium were highest in Taylor fruits, whereas the highest fiber content was detected in Abbundo fruits. Compared to pre-processing fruits, peeled tomatoes showed increased values of total and soluble solids as well as reducing sugars, but decreased sugar ratio and colour. The highest concentrations of antioxidants in processed fruits were recorded in Umex for lycopene and in Superpeel for β-carotene. Compared to pre-processing fruits, in peeled tomatoes lycopene and β-carotene concentrations remained stable and polyphenols increased referring to fresh weight. The hybrids examined did not show univocal trends in terms of sensorial features.