Effect of Calcium Chloride (Cacl₂) Solution on the Physicochemical Properties of Tomato Fruits in Ghana Stored Under Cold and Ambient Temperatures

CaCl₂ Effects on Stored Tomato Fruits

Abstract

Background: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the most produced vegetable globally (186.82 million tonnes in 2022), yet postharvest losses of 25-42% worldwide and approximately 30% in Ghana devastate smallholder income and food security. Calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) is a low-cost, food-grade postharvest treatment whose efficacy on the predominant Burkina variety under Ghanaian storage conditions has not been documented. Objective: This study investigated the effect of CaCl2 solutions (0%, 1.00%, 1.50%, 2.00%, 2.50%) on physicochemical quality of Burkina tomato variety stored at ambient (28±1°C) and relatively low (10±1°C) temperatures.

Methods: Red ripe Burkina tomato variety were dipped briefly (60 seconds) in CaCl2 solution, packaged in low-density polyethylene bags, and assessed for weight loss, pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), and moisture content  at 3-day intervals over 9 days (28±1°C) and at 5-day intervals over 25 days (10±1°C). One-way ANOVA with Least Significant Difference (LSD) post-hoc tests were used for statistical comparison at p ≤ 0.05.

Results: CaCl2 treatment significantly reduced physiological weight loss: treated fruits averaged 3.46 ± 0.41% versus 8.01 ± 0.78% (control) at ambient temperature, and 0.97 ± 0.14% versus 22.93 ± 2.11% (control) at low temperature (p ≤ 0.05). Treated fruits maintained higher TTA (mean 0.41 ± 0.02%) compared to controls (mean 0.30 ± 0.02%), and moisture content was better retained at higher CaCl2 concentrations. TSS was not significantly affected by CaCl2 treatment at either temperature. The 1.50% CaCl2 concentration produced the least weight loss (4.11%) at ambient temperature on day 9.

Conclusion: CaCl2 coating is an effective, inexpensive postharvest strategy for preserving the quality of Burkina tomatoes in Ghana. Combined low-temperature storage with CaCl2 treatment offered the greatest shelf-life extension.