Aroma, which is produced by a complex mixture of volatile compounds, plays an important role in consumers' perceptions of fresh fruits and vegetables.
According to the researchers not only do pre and post-production practices such as time of harvest, use of plant growth regulators and storage temperature/atmosphere affect tomato aroma, common kitchen practices such as refrigeration and blanching are also detrimental.
"The previous two publications addressed how hot water and methyl salicylate pre-treatments alleviate chilling induced volatile loss," said lead author Jinhe Bai from the US department of agriculture.