Effect of Stages of Maturity and Ripening Conditions on the Biochemical Characteristics of Tomato‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits are often harvested at the mature green stage to minimize the damage during post-harvest handling. The fruits may later ripen spontaneously or after treatment with ethylene before shipment to retailers [10] .Losses often occurred from excessive deterioration during holding and marketing of tomatoes. This problem is especially acute with tomatoes harvested when at the breaker or more advanced stages of ripeness.