EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF HOT WATER DIPPING ON QUALITY OF FRESH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Hot water dipping (HWD) at a range of treated temperatures from 34.5 to 630C and exposure times from 10 sec to 210 min were applied to cherry tomato fruits (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Coco) after harvest. During storage at 200C for ripening, the surface color development of treated tomato fruits was delayed in a particular range of HWD conditions and after that ripped to full red-ripe stage. HWD conditions, in which tomato surface color development was delayed without heat damage, accumulated the effective treatment area (ETA). At red ripe-stage (a*/b * =1), the qualities such as sugar content, titratable acidity and firmness of tomato fruits treated in an ETA were similar to the control fruits, except for the lower acidity of tomato fruits treated at low temperatures for long exposure times. Those findings suggest that HWD at high temperatures for short times in the ETA were preferred in both color-delay and quality maintenance of cherry tomato fruits. The discovery and utilization of HWD in ETA could have significant benefits for quality management of cherry tomato fruits. Key words: hot water dipping (HWD), cherry tomato fruits, surface color, quality I