Effect of ultrasound treatment on the quality and contents of polyphenols, lycopene and rutin in tomato fruits

The quality of tomato (Solanum esculentum L.) fruits is associated with their sensory characteristics and nutrient contents, among which are some secondary metabolites with biological activity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ultrasound (US) treatment on the quality and contents of polyphenols, lycopene and rutin in tomatoes after harvest. The application of US under controlled conditions of time and sonication amplitude (SA) induced a significant increase in polyphenol, lycopene and rutin contents in both the pulp and the skin of tomatoes at the beginning and end of the post-harvest evaluation period (0 and 6 days), standing out the 10 min 60% SA and 20 min 20% SA treatments. Additionally, with these treatments, no US effect was observed on the quality parameters (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, firmness, and physiological weight loss). These results reveal that the US application to tomatoes is an attractive technology to increase the content of secondary metabolites in the fruit without affecting its quality.