Evaluation of processing tomatoes from two consecutive growing seasons: Quality attributes, peelability and yield

Peelability is an important quality parameter in the selection of tomato cultivars (cvs.) for whole peeled and dice processing. Six processing tomato cvs. were evaluated in two consecutive years to examine the effects of cv., maturity and physical attributes on peelability and yield. Physical attributes of the raw tomatoes (size, weight, pericarp wall thickness, color) and processed paste quality (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, Bostwick consistency, serum viscosity, color) were determined. Large variations in physical attributes and paste quality were observed in selected tomato cvs. and maturities. In general, most of the attributes indicative of paste quality were more desirable at the less mature (e.g., pink) stage and declined with maturity. Statistical analysis suggests that there were significant differences in percentage of peeled tomatoes, peel index, and yields of whole peeled and diced tomatoes between two consecutive growing years.