Fungal metabolites as indicators of quality of tomato products.

In the manufacture of comminuted tomato products, decomposed material may enter the finished product if careful sorting and trimming of the raw fruits is not done. Hillig and Ramsey (J. Assoc. Offic. Agr. Chemists 28:525, 1945) examined rots, determined the acetic, lactic, and formic acid content, and found higher levels than in sound fruit. Van Dame's research (J. Assoc. Offic. Agr. Chemists 35:528, 1952) showed that rots caused by Alternaria sp., Mucor sp., and Fusarium sp. produced succinic acid. On a limited number of samples, Van Dame (J. Assoc. Offic. Agr. Chemists 37:352, 1954) concluded that the (M. L. Fields and L. Scott, J. Food Sci. 30:714, 1965; M. L. Field and B. Richmond, J. Food Sci. 32:235, 1967). The absence of some metabolites in rotten tissue, therefore, needs to be recognized, but this does not prevent the use of metabolites as indicators of quality. The type of substrate and pH of the substrate have an influence upon the quantities of fungal metabolites (M. L. Fields, Appl. Microbiol. 12: 141, 1964; M. L. Fields and L. Scott, J. Food Sci. 30:714, 1965; M. L. Fields and B. Richmond, Appl. Microbiol. 15:1313, 1967). Also, knowledge concerning the production of volatile acids, non-