EFFECTS OF WOOD VINEGAR ON TOMATO FRUIT QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE AT AMBIENT AND LOW TEMPERATURES

Wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid or pyrolysis oil), a liquid produced through natural carbonization of plant refuse, has several potential benefits to agriculture and human health and has been reported to improve harvest quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables but may also promote ethylene production. In this study, we used wood vinegar derived from citrus tree refuse and corn stover and applied on breaker tomato ‘Diamante’ at dilutions with distilled water of 1:10 or 1:5 (10 and 20%) as postharvest dip for 3 min before storage at ambient (25-30°C) or refrigerated condition (8-10°C) for 2 weeks. No remarkable effects of wood vinegar on quality changes were noted except in terms of weight loss and reddening (a* values). Fruit stored at ambient and pretreated with 10-20% wood vinegar from corn stover or 20% wood vinegar from citrus refuse had lower weight loss than the control (water dip). Fruit reddening was favored at low temperature than at ambient. Sensory quality, soluble solids content, acidity and fruit decay incidence were not affected.