Weight Loss of Potato Tubers and Tomato Fruits Due to Cutting and Drying

Abstract

About 90 – 95% of most horticultural crops weights is water. Hence they are subjected to physical injury during harvest and handling. This leads to an increase in water loss, respiration and ethylene production rates and to some physiological disorders and diseases. Hence this research was carried out in the nutrition laboratory, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, to study the extent and pattern of potato tubers and tomato fruits weight loss as a result of removing 10%, 25%,50% and 75% of their volume. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the control ( intact tubers and fruits ) and the other treatments and among treatments. The control lost less weight, whereas the weight loss in the other treatment increased with the increase of the removed volume. This study, also included a comparison in dry weights of cut tomato fruits which were air-dried slowly and those which were oven-dried immediately after cutting. The results indicated that the earlier treatment lead to a higher loss in dry weight due to cell respiration. Accordingly, probably it is better to use a higher drying rate method lest to lose much of fruits dry weight.