Articles
Postharvest decay and spoilage of tomatoes from small-scale production systems
Article number
1451_23
Pages
161 – 168
Language
English
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the second most important vegetable crop in South Africa, contributing over 24% of the gross vegetable production.
Despite the importance of tomatoes, reports demonstrate that farmers lose approximately 76% of the crop after harvest.
However, studies on the magnitude of decay-related losses under small-scale production of tomatoes in South Africa are still limited.
Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate postharvest decay and spoilage losses of tomatoes in small-scale production in Gauteng Province.
To achieve this, 6 kg of tomato boxes were collected in triplicates from eight farms across three regions in Gauteng Province.
A total of 270 kg of tomatoes (45 boxes) were collected during the 2022/2023 growing season for loss identification and quantification at harvest (day 1) and storage (days 7 and 14). In addition, the tomatoes were analysed for changes in quality parameters (firmness, pH, and TSS). The overall results show that firmness is negatively correlated to pH and decay during storage.
The analysis indicated that losses due to spoilage and decay contributed 12% of the average postharvest losses on day one.
Decay losses were significantly higher after storage (days 7 and 14) (P<0.0001) with an approximate average of 42%. The fungi associated with postharvest decay were identified as Fusarium spp., Alternaria spp., and Geotrichum candidum, among others.
In addition, bacteria such as Bacillus spp., and Pseudomonas spp., were also associated with spoilage of tomatoes in storage.
Contamination of the fruit can occur preharvest and/or through improper handling at postharvest.
The study therefore recommends farmers training on good production practices to prevent contamination of tomatoes with potential plant and human pathogens thereby improving the shelf life and food safety in storage.
Despite the importance of tomatoes, reports demonstrate that farmers lose approximately 76% of the crop after harvest.
However, studies on the magnitude of decay-related losses under small-scale production of tomatoes in South Africa are still limited.
Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate postharvest decay and spoilage losses of tomatoes in small-scale production in Gauteng Province.
To achieve this, 6 kg of tomato boxes were collected in triplicates from eight farms across three regions in Gauteng Province.
A total of 270 kg of tomatoes (45 boxes) were collected during the 2022/2023 growing season for loss identification and quantification at harvest (day 1) and storage (days 7 and 14). In addition, the tomatoes were analysed for changes in quality parameters (firmness, pH, and TSS). The overall results show that firmness is negatively correlated to pH and decay during storage.
The analysis indicated that losses due to spoilage and decay contributed 12% of the average postharvest losses on day one.
Decay losses were significantly higher after storage (days 7 and 14) (P<0.0001) with an approximate average of 42%. The fungi associated with postharvest decay were identified as Fusarium spp., Alternaria spp., and Geotrichum candidum, among others.
In addition, bacteria such as Bacillus spp., and Pseudomonas spp., were also associated with spoilage of tomatoes in storage.
Contamination of the fruit can occur preharvest and/or through improper handling at postharvest.
The study therefore recommends farmers training on good production practices to prevent contamination of tomatoes with potential plant and human pathogens thereby improving the shelf life and food safety in storage.
Authors
T. Molelekoa, E.M. Karoney, N. Siyoum, L. Korsten
Keywords
postharvest loss, fungal and bacterial pathogens, postharvest storage, food security, informal supply chain
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