Metabolic differences between genotypes in response to cold storage explain the poor sensory quality of many varieties after storage below 12?C

For many years consumers complain about the flavour of modern commercial tomatoes. This lack of flavour is partly caused by the fact that modern breeding programs traditionally focused on producer traits, such as yield and disease resistance rather than on consumer traits such as flavour, but also by pre- (harvest of immature fruit) and post-harvest practises. The recommended temperature to maintain tomato postharvest quality without causing chilling injury (CI) is 12?C. However, during transport, marketing and home conservation tomatoes are frequently stored below 12?C leading to the development of CI symptoms, including loss of flavour. Previous studies showed that tomato storage at 5?C (household refrigerator temperature) affects volatile production with a reduction in lipids- and carotenoids-derived volatiles. Reconditioning at 20?C could only partially restore tomato flavour. For this reason it is recommended that consumers store their tomatoes at room temperature. However, this is not possible in warm countries, where domestic refrigeration is essential to avoid tomato postharvest decay. This study aims to identify genetic variation for the response of tomato to cold storage, by comparing the flavour characteristics and metabolite content of different tomato genotypes under different storage regimes. In a first trial, six genotypes were stored at 5?C and 80% RH during 14 days and their changes in sensory quality, volatile compounds and primary metabolites were analysed. The trained panel was able to detect differences in taste and/or aroma parameters after cold storage in four genotypes. Over 150 volatile compounds were identified by SPME-GC-MS and their accumulation patterns were analysed by multivariate statistical tools. Principal components analysis revealed a unique and distinguishable volatile profile for all genotypes and a clear effect of cold storage. In this work, the metabolic differences between genotypes in response to cold storage will be discussed in relation to their sensory quality. ? SourcesImpact of storage at low temperature on sensorial quality and metabolite content of six tomato cultivarsRaquel Rosales1, Yury Tikunov1, Maike Hanenberg2, Wouter Verkerke2, Arnaud Bovy11Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, Netherlands2Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture, Violierenweg 1, 2665 MV Bleiswijk, NetherlandsVIII International Postharvest Symposium, Cartagena, Spain, 21-24 June 2016 Picture by?Semillas Fit?