Effects of Acacia Gums Incorporated with Gallic Acid and Clove oil on Physicochemical and Physiological Changes of Tomatoes During Storage

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an annual herbaceous crop with berries that belongs to the Solanaceae family. It produces fruits of various sizes and shapes with a smooth epicarp. It originated as wild forms in the Peru-Ecuador-Bolivia area of South America. It is among the perishable horticultural products affected by the postharvest practices during the production chain. Research was done to study the effect of acacia gums incorporated with gallic acid and clove oil on physiological and physicochemical changes in tomatoes during storage at different treatment ratios and storage conditions. Whereby treatment solutions made of acacia gum incorporated with gallic acid and clove oil in combination ratios of T1 (0:0:100), T2 (0.5:0.5:100), T3 (1.0:1.0:98), and T4 (1.5:1.5:97) as gallic acid, clove oil, and acacia gum solution, respectively, were used as organic coatings to preserve tomatoes. 120 Coated tomatoes per treatment were then left to dry at ambient temperature, followed by storage at ambient, in the cold room (16°C), and in a refrigerator (8°C) for observation for 35 days. It was observed that the antioxidant activity percentage was increased from a value of 19.66±0.000 % to 42.77±5.436 % on average within the initial 14 days of storage; thereafter, it started decreasing. Meanwhile, the firmness of the tomatoes was maintained until 28 days of storage, after which it started changing due to respiration. Treatment T3 (1.0:1.0:98) performed well in maintaining the firmness of tomato fruits in all storage conditions compared to treatments T1 (0:0:100), T2 (0.5:0.5:98), and T4 (1.5:1.5:97), with an average maximum firmness of T3 (0.24±0.00 N/mm), T1 (0.17±0.00 N/mm), T2 (0.20 ±0.00N/mm), and T4 (0.21±0.00 N/mm), respectively. This indicates the best quality attribute towards the marketability for preserving the shape and size of the tomato fruits when it comes to shelf life and customer perception.