Tocols, carotenoids, heat damage and technological quality of diced tomatoes processed in different industrial lines

The research assessed the influence of seven industrial lines and four harvesting periods on diced tomato quality. Soluble solids, pH, furosine, lycopene, consistency, and drained weight depended mainly on processing line, while α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, colour, and dice area on sampling period. Heat damage, quite similar among technologies, was highest for cold-filling applied to big cans. Lycopene content, highest in aseptic-packaging lines, was linked not to heat damage but to oxygen exposure. Ca-added samples showed lower lycopene, α-tocopherol, a*/b*, and higher consistency. Ca effect on drained weight and total dice area was minimal. Without Ca addition, consistency was highest in low heat damage samples.