7.2 Storage

Packaging is convenient for handling, transporting and storing tomatoes. It protects against pathogens, natural predators, loss of moisture, temperatures, crushing, deformation of tomatoes and bruising. It also has an aesthetic function.

Fresh tomatoes are often packed without stems. Mature green mature tomatoes can be stacked on top of one another in a package, since they are firm, but remember that not too many must be packed all at once, or the tomatoes at the bottom of the package will be deformed or bruised due to excessive weight on top of them. In all cases it is a good idea to use padding material at the bottom of packages and in between layers of tomatoes. Packaging material is expensive, in terms of total costs, and must not be wasted.

Some of the most common packaging materials: ? large green leaves ? clay pots ? baskets ? wooden crates ? cardboard crates ? cardboard boxes ? glass bottles or jars ? plastic bottles ? tin cans

It may be possible to form formal or informal associations with other farmers to organise packaging operations.

7.2 Storage

Storing tomatoes in tropical and subtropical climates can be difficult without cold storage. Sometimes fast marketing is the only solution.

Tomatoes that are to be sold fresh for table consumption must not be stored for long. Tomatoes that have been processed, for example into

tomatoes purée or juice, or dried or pickled can be stored from several months to a few years.

Storage facilities will vary according to marketing demands. Fresh table tomatoes will need to be stored somewhere where they can ripen or be stored for a short amount of time. At other times cold storage rooms are required. Processed tomatoes can be stored in typical storage rooms. Tomatoes often need to be stored at different points while they are in transit to a final destination. For example the tomatoes are picked when ripe and stored for a few days in a cool room, after which they transported to distant markets. During the journey the tomatoes will ripen to the market stage. Tomatoes that go for export are often transported in large containers that have cold storage facilities and ethylene treatment units.

Fresh tomatoes can be stored after they have been harvested and sorted or they can first be packaged before storing. Cooling before and during storage is important.

Tomatoes are sensitive to chilling. Tomatoes that suffer chilling injury fail to ripen, and do develop full colour and flavour. Their colour development is irregular, and they are likely to suffer premature softening, browning of seeds and increased decay. Tomatoes will deteriorate if they are kept at temperatures below 10°C for longer than 2 weeks or if kept at 5°C for longer than 6 to 8 days.

Clearly it is difficult to keep tomatoes at cool temperatures without the aid of cold storage facilities, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Hence storage methods have to be adapted to methods used locally. For example, one method of storing nearly ripe tomatoes is to place them in green leaves that have been washed. The leaves must be changed every 2 or 3 days until the product is sold. These operations need to be conducted in a cool location that is ventilated. Other forms of storage are tomato drying and purée production.