Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Abstract

Calcium Delays the Postharvest Ripening and Related Membrane-Lipid Changes of Tomato

Chéour F and Souiden Y

Effects of foliar CaCl2 treatment on postharvest tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) ripening and senescence as well as on membrane lipid degradation were assessed during two separately carried out experiments. In the first one, foliar CaCl2 application on two cultivars Trésor and H 63-5, caused a significant increase in fruit Ca content and consequently slows the diminution of firmness and acidic citric content, the increase of pH, and the development of red color and gray mold during storage. In addition, CaCl2 application had more effect on the softer H 63-5 fruit, which contained relatively low level of Ca at the time of treatment. In the second experiment calcium implication in cellular membrane stabilization of cultivar Caruso has been verified. Chlorophylls content decreased and that of the carotenoids increased during ripening and senescence, in correlation with of phospholipids reduction. In conclusion, the Ca delays tomato ripening and senescence during storage. This could be probably by protection of membrane lipids from degradation.