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Research: Genetic basis of fruit quality traits in processing tomatoes

02/07/2025

Sophie Colvine
UC Davis
California,
North America
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A new article from researchers at UC Davis in collaboration with HeinzSeed published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research reviews the qualities required in tomatoes specifically for processing and how breeding and genetics can achieve these.
 
Tomato varieties used for processed products, such as paste, sauces, and crushed tomatoes, differ from their fresh-market counterparts based on plant structure, fruit morphology, and fruit biochemistry. Processing tomato varieties have been bred to withstand mechanical harvesting and to yield good-quality cooked products. 
 
Although there has been substantial research on fresh-market tomatoes, there needs to be more emphasis on the traits required for processing varieties. Characteristics such as juice thickness (consistency), ease of removing fruit skin (peelability), and fruit maturity concentration may not be important to fresh-market tomato growers; however, they play crucial roles in determining the best varieties for processing. 
 

Figure 1. Overview of the processing tomato pipeline and key vegetative and fruit traits. 
The first section on the left shows the initial steps from the field to rinsing at the processing plant, which are common to all processing tomato products.
The top-right panel shows the process of tomatoes destined to be peeled or diced, whereas the bottom-right panel exhibits the process of producing paste or sauces. Words in italics indicate the fruit traits relevant for each step. (copyright: study authors)

 
Major genes involved in many processed quality traits, often subject to significant environmental influences, have yet to be revealed. Application of advanced genomic tools and gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR Cas9, could clarify the leading players driving these traits and support breeding efforts. 
 

 
Figure. 2. Key quality traits for processing tomatoes.
Important attributes associated with tomato processing lines are described, including the known genes controlling such characteristics. The self-pruning panel shows a determinate plant habit that produces fruit every two leaves, compared to a branch with an indeterminate growth habit, producing fruit every three leaves. The jointless panel illustrates a processing variety with the jointless (j-2) mutation, influencing the abscission zone for stemless fruit detachment, compared to a fresh-market line with a jointed stem, leaving part of the stem attached upon harvest. The extended field harvest panel displays tomato plants with the EFH trait (left) and those no-EFH plants (right), both grown next to each other under the same conditions. The firmness panel compares the firmness of processing and fresh-market lines under a force of 500 g, a post-test speed of 40 mm/s, and a 10 mm distance using a texture analyzer. The peelability panel shows a processing line with high versus one with low peelability. The color intensity panel presents a processing line with the hp and ogc mutations compared to a tomato line without either mutation. The uniform color panel displays a processing line with the u mutation, lacking green shoulders, compared to a fresh-market line with green shoulders. The juice consistency panel illustrates the Bostwick consistency test, showing a thicker juice consistency on top and a thinner consistency on the bottom after a 30-s run. (copyright: study authors)

 
 This review article presents what is known about the genetics underlying important key traits in processing tomatoes that impact the product quality and production efficiency of processed tomato products and addresses areas where more work is needed.
 
Reference: Isabel Ortega-Salazar, Richard H. Ozminkowski, Jaclyn A. Adaskaveg, Adrian O. Sbodio, Barbara Blanco-Ulate, Genetic basis of fruit quality traits in processing tomatoes, Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, Volume 22, 2025, 102096, ISSN 2666-1543
 
Full text: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102096

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