Abstract

The effects of preservation techniques and storage on the chemical properties of five varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) were investigated. The five varieties were Marzanino, Xina, NHLe 158-3, Picenza 0164 and Roma VF. The preservation techniques employed were freezing and home canning. The additives were sodium chloride (0-2.5%) and lime juice (0-10%). The pH, moisture, vitamin and lycopene contents were evaluation during a storage period of 0-4 months. The results showed that the pH of fresh tomato ranged from 4.50 to 6.23 and frozen tomato from 4.39 to 5.39. The pH of tomato paste with additives was 4.01 and values for canned quartered tomato with additives ranged from 3.47 to 4.59. The moisture content of fresh tomato ranged from 92.8% to 94.9%. The vitamin C content of fresh, frozen and canned tomato ranged from 0.12mg/100g for canned tomato paste to 10.8mg/100g fresh tomato. The lycopene content of fresh, frozen and canned tomato also varied; tomato paste had the highest (120.67mg/kg) level while canned quartered tomato with no additives had the least (3.6mg/kg).