Introduction: Tomatoes are a climacteric fruit with high perishability, leading to significant loss post-harvest. Amidst the various technologies gaining attention in scientific platforms, radiofrequency heating can be a promising non-chemical, green technology for extending the shelf life of tomatoes. Therefore, this study aims to explore the potential of RF heating treatment at two different temperatures on tomatoes with/without calcium chloride pre-treatment (1%) at different storage conditions.
Methods: Freshly harvested tomatoes were subjected to RF heating at 45°C for 6 minutes and 50°C for 2 minutes, with a constant current applied. Half of the samples at each temperature were treated with a calcium chloride solution before RF treatment. The treated tomatoes were then stored under ambient and refrigerated conditions. Physiological (respiration rate, physiological loss of weight), physical (total color difference, tomato color index, firmness), and chemical (pH, titratable acidity, TSS) properties were assessed at intervals of 7 days over 28 days.
Results: RF heating at both temperatures significantly affected the physiological, physical, and chemical properties of stored tomatoes. The treatment at 50°C with calcium chloride showed the most pronounced effect, resulting in the lowest respiration (5.38 µL CO2 kg-1 h-1) and minimized physiological loss of weight (5.26 %), and loss of firmness (8.95 %), higher TSS (4.73 °Brix), and lower titratable acidity (0.58 % citric acid equivalent) were observed in treated tomatoes, particularly under refrigerated conditions. Interestingly, color parameters were retained better in RF treatment at 50°C without calcium chloride under both storage conditions.
Conclusion: RF heating, particularly at 50°C for a short time, can be an effective method for preserving the quality of tomatoes during storage. The addition of calcium chloride further enhances the benefits, suggesting a synergistic effect that could be exploited in commercial post-harvest handling of tomatoes.
