Assessment of locally produced waxing materials on the shelf life and fruit quality of two tomato varieties (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effect of different waxing materials on the quality attributes of tomato fruits. A 2x8 factorial experiment layout in complete randomized design with 16 treatment combinations and 3 replication was adopted. The materials that were used for the experiment are two (2) varieties of tomatoes (Pectomech and Power Rano) and seven
(7) waxing material (shea butter, cassava starch, beeswax, and a combination of shea butter + cassava starch, shea butter + beeswax, cassava starch + beeswax, shea butter + cassava starch + beeswax) and a control. Results from the experiment indicated that all waxing treatments delayed the development of weight loss, firmness, pH, total soluble solids, and total titrable
acidity. The results also suggested that edible wax coatings delayed the ripening process and colour development of tomato fruits during the storage period and extended the shelf life. However Beewax treatment and its combinations performed better than the other treatments. It was therefore recommended that locally produced wax such as Beewax, Shea butter, Cassava Starch treatments and their combinations could be a good technology for preserving the quality and extending the shelf life of fresh tomato fruit as well as maintaining the physical and chemical properties.