Influence of cultivar, soak treatment and brine composition on the physico-chemical and sensory qualities of unpeeled whole canned tomatoes.

Abstract

The effect of cultivar, soak treatment and brine composition on physico-chemical and sensory properties of unpeeled whole canned tomatoes was investigated with a view to understanding the influence of these process conditions on the canned product characteristics. Two tomato cultivars (Lycopersicon esculentum Var. Roma VF and Lycopersicon esculentum var. Ibadan Local) were used. The tomatoes were subjected to 10 min soaking in water or 1% (w/v) calcium chloride (CaCl ) solution before canning in brine of 2 different concentrations (0.1% NaCl, 0.1% NaCl + 1% CaCl , 2 0.1% NaCl + 1.5% CaCl ). The tomatoes were examined after 60 2 days of storage. The canned tomatoes were evaluated for drained weight, titratable acidity, lycopene, ascorbic acid, total solids and pH; and the brine was assessed for soluble solids, turbidity, volume and pH. Aroma, appearance, color and overall acceptability were assessed by a sensory panel using a 9-point hedonic scale. The study revealed that the physico-chemical properties of canned unpeeled whole tomatoes were mainly affected by the differences in brine concentration. The whole tomatoes canned in 0.1% NaCl brine had lower total solids, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid (3.00 g / 100 g, 0.24 g / 100 g and 6.70 mg / 100 g, respectively) when compared to the NaCl + 1% CaCl brine (4.88 2 g / 100 g, 0.32 g / 100 g and 12.50 mg / 100 g, respectively) and NaCl + 1.5% CaCl brine (4.38 g / 100 g, 0.33 g / 100 g and 11.16 2 mg / 100 g, respectively). Sensory scores did not vary (P> 0.05) for the different treatments.

Keywords: Whole tomatoes, soak treatment, brine composition, physicochemical properties, sensory analysis