Evaluation of Storage Types with Pot-in-Pot Technique for Preservation of Tomato Fruit in Holeta, Western Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Tomato is one of the most widely cultivated and extensively consumed horticultural crops worldwide. However, it is more vulnerable to post harvest losses than other crops due to its more perishable property. This experiment was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different storage methods in improving shelf life of tomato fruits. The experiment consisted of three treatments (storage using pot in pot technique, cooling (Refrigerator) and room temperature (control). Which were laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. A total of 138 tomato fruits with uniform maturity stage, shape and size were collected from Holeta Horticulture research field and 46 fruits were randomly assigned to each treatment. Highly significant (P<0.001) minimum loss of physicochemical properties (pH, TA and TSS) along time (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days) was observed for fruits stored using pot in pot technique. The highest mean weight loss percentage was observed for fruits stored under room temperature. Results of sensory evaluation along time revealed that there was highly significant difference (P<0.001) among the treatments. Accordingly, the highest mean scores of firmness (4.07+0.87), color (4.08+1.03) and overall acceptability (4.00+0.92) were recorded for tomato fruits stored using pot in pot technique at 18°C, while the value for general appearance (3.92+0.94) was higher for fruits in refrigerator at 13°C. In general, pot in pot method was found to be best suited for 30days storage period at 18°C without much affecting quality of tomato fruits.