Effects of postharvest application of Citrocide^® PLUS, a peracetic acid based formulation, on tomato decay control

Tomato fruit, considered the second most important vegetable in the world in terms of quantity of vitamins and minerals contributing to the human diet, is affected by postharvest diseases that significantly increase spoilage after harvest. Furthermore, economic losses due to postharvest diseases are even greater than generally realized because the value of the produce increases several-fold while passing from the field to the consumer. Because the increased concerns regarding food safety of fresh vegetables we developed a PAA formulation and application system for the hygienic washing of tomatoes. It turns out that this application is also extremely effective reducing postharvest decay. In the present study, the postharvest application of Citrocide^® PLUS on tomatoes was evaluated. Citrocide^® PLUS, a PAA based formulation from Productos Citrosol S.A., was applied to three different tomatoes cultivars. In two cultivars, fruit was wounded simulating cracking, while in a third one, tomatoes were harvested from a greenhouse with, presumably, high level of fungi inoculum. The results obtained showed that the proper application of Citrocide^® PLUS significantly reduces tomatoes postharvest decay in all cultivars tested. Decay reduction index varies from 85 to even 100% after 10 days at 10°C and 85% RH in wounded tomatoes, while in non-wounded tomatoes decay control was 100% after 13 days at 10°C and 85% RH. In addition, the results showed that the avoidance of washing tomato cannot be considered as an alternative to reduce postharvest decay. This study indicates that the postharvest application of Citrocide^® PLUS is a reliable solution to improve postharvest life of tomatoes and therefore, reduce tomato economic losses caused by decay after harvest.