Physicochemical and colorimetric evaluation of local varieties of tomato grown in SE Spain

The different physicochemical and colorimetric parameters which define fruit quality were evaluated in 12 varieties of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) from several localities in SE Spain, using three widely grown commercial (F-1) hybrids as controls. Several local varieties were identified with better scores for specific quality parameters (fruit firmness, soluble solids content, pH, citric and malic acids and lycopene) than the commercially grown hybrids. These may find a place in the market as distinctive quality fruits or as source material for optimal quality characteristics in breeding programmes. The correlations obtained in the overall study of the results point to the advantages and disadvantages of choosing certain quality parameters. The colorimetric study showed that the ratio between the chromatic co-ordinates of the CIELAB system (a*/b*) separated the fruits of the different varieties as a function of their external colour better than the tomato colour index (TCI). (C) 2001 Society of Chemical Industry.