EFFECTIVENESS OF ALOE VERA GEL IN PRESERVING THE ORGANOLEPTIC QUALITY OF TOMATOES IN COTE D IVOIRE

Tomatoes in Ivory Coast suffer enormous post-harvest losses due to the lack of simple, accessible and reliable techniques for long-term storage. To remedy this, this study was conducted to explore the possibilities of using Aloe vera in the long-term storage of tomatoes after harvest while preserving their organoleptic quality. Thus, ripe green and red tomatoes from two production systems, namely tomatoes grown with either Aloe vera gel or NPK,which are organic and chemical fertilizers respectively, were evaluated. To do this, they were immersed either in aloe vera gel or in a mancozeb solution, then dried in the open air before being placed in storage baskets. The parameters observed were the visual appearance of the tomatoes, the time in days taken for the colour change and rotting of the red tomatoes, and finally the sensory analysis of the coated and preserved tomatoes. As a result, the aloe vera gel gave the tomatoes a shiny appearance and delayed the colour change from green to red by three (03) days. In addition, the control tomatoes showed 100 % rot on the 51st day, while those coated with aloe vera gel showed 66.66 % rot, and by the 60th day the rate was 73.33 %. This study showed that the appropriate stage for preserving ripe tomatoes using aloe vera gel is when they are red rather than green. Furthermore, sensory analysis showed that red tomatoes coated with the gel had organoleptic qualities that were appreciated by tasters, who found them to be very firm, less acidic and with a better aroma. Thus, aloe vera gel increases the market value of tomatoes by giving them a shiny appearance, reducing rapid rotting and preserving their functional properties. Therefore, to extend their shelf life, ripe red tomatoes should be coated with aloe vera gel.