Role of oxalic acid on shelf-life and physicochemical characteristics of tomato

Abstract

Green mature fruits of tomato were treated with different concentrations of oxalic acid (1, 2, 3 and 4 mM) solutions by dipping and water as control for 15 min at 20°C. Different physico-chemical properties were analyzed at the end of ripening. The fruits were kept for four days additionally, at 20°C to study the rate of disease incidence in treated as well as control. The most effective concentration of oxalic acid was found to be 3 mM for controlling the shelf-life as well as disease incidence as compared with control and other treatments. Hence, it can be concluded that postharvest dipping with oxalic acid at 3 mM has the potential to control disease incidence, prolong the shelflife and preserve valuable attributes of tomato fruits because it maintained the ascorbic acid content, titrable acidity, soluble solids concentration and fruit firmness by reducing activities of cell wall hydrolyzing enzymes such as polygalacturonase and pectin methyl esterase.