Selecting and Storing Tomatoes

For our country the year round heat with high humidity, tomatoes have high respiration, so that the plants bear fruit quickly and fast too ripe. Consequently, it is hard to get the tomatoes were large such as tomato production in New Zealand, Australia or the United States, which many we find in some supermarkets. Because, once all the content of the fruit have been filled, before reaching a maximum size, we immediately tomatoes enter a period called ripening or ripening.

By their very nature, then buy the fruit is still green but the size fruit has a maximum, is a good choice to extend the life shelf, because the nutritional value is not different.

Does this mean that the nutritional value of tomatoes we conceived is lower than on tomato import? Of course not. Because according to the nature, tomatoes plants, including selective in absorbing nutrients. if deficiencies one of the nutrients, this plant will reduce its fruit, but not reduce nutrient compounds formed.

Respiration of tomatoes this continues when it was picked. The process of respiration which causes this decay occurs because of chemical changes in tomato fruit from the pro-vitamin A to vitamin A, pro-vitamin C be Vitamin C, and of carbohydrates into sugar, which produces CO2, H2O, and ethylen. Accumulation of respiratory products is what causes the decay. But according to his nature anyway respiration can not be stopped, only inhibited, ie by keeping the temperature and low humidity. Low temperature storage can be done simply in the cupboard ice, but the high humidity in this place to remember things easily evaporate also stored here, so the process can not be inhibited respiration well.

Another way is to reduce the pile of respiratory products. inhibition of this can be done in various ways. Imported tomato fruits that we found in some of these supermarkets, usually wrapped with polyethilen plastic. This method is quite good, as it is quite effective in suppressing the formation CO2 and H2O. But the 'poly-ethilen' would react with 'ethylen' which tomatoes produced, forming 'ethylen' long chain that is easy to react tomato skin with a layer of wax, so to some extent less good for health, except when his skin "peeled".

Other packaging materials are imported tomatoes shrink film or plastic polyethilen shrink plastic, which looks more "prestigious", because the price is more expensive. But according to the nature of the reaction ethylen, the packaging is much less well for health because of direct contact with the skin of the fruit packs more.

In Australia generally used ordinary plastic wrap with a bundle polyethylen little in it that contains the KMnO4. The packaging is more secure because KMnO4 very effectively absorb ethylen. But consequently, the price of tomatoes is much more expensive, because the price of KMnO4 and the wrapper, which must be semipermeable this, very expensive.

The most convenient, inexpensive, and safe for the tomatoes in the country is is store them in a wooden box that can absorb H2O hygroscopic and at the bottom were given calcium oxide or Ca (OH) 2 for binding CO2, and stored in a dry and shaded so that hoarding can ethylen pressed. When the tomatoes are kept still greenish color, storage in this way can withstand up to 2 fresh tomatoes week.