Role of Potassium Permanganate Ethylene on Physicochemical Properties, during Storage of Five Different Tomato Cultivars

The tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is the most widely consumed fresh vegetable in the industrialized world and it is found at the base of the pyramid of the Mediterranean diet [4]. It is also widely used for the production of derived products such as juice, purées, ketchup or soups [5,6]. The tomato is known to be beneficial for health, especially with regard to the development of chronic degenerative diseases mainly due to its high content in health-related compounds such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids (in particular, lycopene), and phenolic compounds thus having antioxidant capacity [7]. Moreover, ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity can be useful quality indicators in fruits and vegetables because they are sensitive parameters providing an indication of cultivar, environmental conditions, use of production techniques and storage conditions after postharvesting and how it affects to organoleptic characteristics or nutritional components [8-10].