Effects of Calcium Chloride and Salicylic Acid in Combination with Hot Water Treatment on the Postharvest Quality of Tomato Fruits

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed fruit worldwide. But its highly perishable nature results in considerable postharvest losses, especially under tropical conditions. The present study was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of calcium chloride (CaCl₂), salicylic acid (SA) and hot water treatment (HWT) on postharvest quality and shelf life of tomato fruits under ambient laboratory condition. The experiment followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) which consist of eight treatments: control (T0), 6% CaCl₂ (T1), 6% CaCl₂ + HWT (T2), 150 ppm SA (T3), 150 ppm SA + HWT (T4), HWT only (T5), 6% CaCl₂ + 150 ppm SA (T6), and 6% CaCl₂ + 150 ppm SA + HWT (T7), each replicated three times. A total of 240 turning-stage tomato fruits of uniform size and maturity were used. Parameters such as cumulative weight loss, firmness, color change, total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C content, titratable acidity, disease incidence, disease severity and shelf life were recorded at regular intervals during an 11-day storage period. Results revealed that the combined application of CaCl₂, SA, and HWT (T7) most effectively maintained postharvest quality attributes compared to other treatments. The lowest cumulative weight loss (6.46%) and disease incidence were recorded in T7. While T3 (150 ppm SA) retained the highest vitamin C content (20.27 mg/100 g). Treatments containing calcium chloride (CaCl₂) significantly delayed ripening, reduced total soluble solids accumulation and preserved firmness by supporting cell wall structure and minimizing moisture loss. Salicylic acid, either alone or in combination, played a crucial role in preserving ascorbic acid properties. The synergistic interaction among Ca²⁺ SA, and heat treatment substantially reduced physiological degradation and microbial decay, thereby extending the shelf life of treated tomatoes by several days compared to the untreated control group. The findings demonstrate that the integrated use of CaCl₂, SA and hot water treatment offers an effective, safe and low-cost strategy for prolonging the postharvest life and marketability of tomatoes in tropical environments where cold storage facilities are limited. These results could be practically adopted by small-scale producers and traders to minimize postharvest losses and enhance profitability.

Keywords: Tomato, Calcium chloride, Salicylic acid, Hot water treatment, Postharvest quality, Shelf life.

• Supervision