Critical points of industrial tomato from field to processing

ABSTRACT The authors evaluated critical points of production stages of the industrial tomato, through physical and physico-chemical analyzes of U2006 hybrid fruits in the harvest, 2016. Fruits were evaluated in relation to raw material, temperature, fresh mass, pH, soluble solids (°Brix), firmness, titratable acidity and extravasation of electrolytes. Samples were collected in six steps: manual, mechanized, truck, arrival at industry, unloading and selection mat in two periods, morning and afternoon, totalizing 60 fruits for each step, and four replications. Fruits which waited for more than 10 hours in the yard generated an increase in serious defects (%), loss of fresh mass, discount on the amount paid for the load. The most critical stages of the production process were identified when tomatoes arrived at the industry and their unloading, when the fruits presented fresh mass loss due to the high temperature. In addition, the authors highlight that a better organization in the arrivals at the industry as well as an efficient communication of crop restriction is crucial, since unscheduled stops increase waiting time, causing significant quality losses.