Defects and peelability of processing tomatoes

Peeling is one of the first operations in the manufacture of whole peeled and diced tomatoes, and the peelability of processing tomatoes is significantly affected by the presence of various tomato defects, in particular yellow eye and blossom-end rot. Tomato maturity also impacts both the percentage of peeled fruit and yield. Immature fruits are typically undercolored and small in size. Sunburned regions on the tomato surface are difficult to peel as well. In this study, we determined the impact of 24 selected tomato defects on tomato peelability and yield of whole peeled tomatoes. There are potential advantages to sorting to remove selected tomato defects early in the process.