Background: Tomato puree, being abundant in nutritive value and having significant health advantages to consumers are widely used to improve the flavour and colour of food preparations. In the present study, tomato puree was prepared using seven genotypes having three different fruit colours. Color has played an essential role in consumer acceptability of tomato puree. 
 
Methods: The present study used some difficult-to-ripe tomato genotypes (mostly used for breeding purposes due to their prolonged shelf life) to determine the quality parameters (TSS, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, lycopene and &beta;-carotene contents) of fresh tomatoes and their purees. The sensory attributes of purees were determined by a panel of 10 judges.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The findings unequivocally show that processing significantly altered the chemical makeup of tomato puree, especially in terms of a decrease in ascorbic acid, &beta;-carotene and titratable acidity and a notable increase in TSS and lycopene concentration following preparation. Non ripening mutants could effectively be processed to develop a unique orange coloured puree with high nutritive values. Overall, the results demonstrate how important genotype selection is for producing nutrient-dense processed tomato product that satisfy consumer preferences and offer a number of health benefits.

Acceptability Study of Tomato Puree using Less Explored Genotypes and Their Hybrids

<div>Background: The red-colored tomatoes are characterised as a mine of lycopene to manufacture food grade ingredient and projected its placement in a specialty class where nutrient with pharmaceutical value justifies dietary status. Tomato lycopene has justified its status as a potential antioxidant compensating with nutraceutical importance and provided an option for endorsing specialty nutrition. The diversity epidemiological experiments recorded noteworthy modulations in lipid profile and projected risk reduction potential of lycopene against non-communicable diseases. The progressive research efforts to monitor haematological parameters to justify efficacy of tomato lycopene against adverse effects on wellbeing of human body is required for precision governance. The present research work aims to assess the potential of lycopene rich tomato puree in monitoring the haematological parameters in hyperlipidemic Wistar rats. 
 
Methods: Wistar rats (Healthy control, high fat diet fed, HFD-Stain treated and HFD-tomato puree treated) were examined for physiological, haematological and blood biochemical parameters on 0, 14 and 28th day of experiment to assess effect of tomato puree administration on wellbeing of rats against healthy, hyperlipidemic and standard drug status. 
 
Result: The increased haemoglobin and total erythrocyte count on 14th and 28th day of experiment justifies the erythropoiesis stimulatory effect of tomato puree lycopene. Moreover, increased total leukocyte count in high fat diet-tomato puree fed rats on 14th and 28th day validates the positive effect of tomato puree lycopene to monitor healthiness in Wistar rats. The regulatory mechanism based on haematological specialty features that monitors the risk of physiological disorders and diseases outlined through animal study experimental data provided a logistic option to confirm the efficacy of tomato puree lycopene to protect wellbeing/healthiness of live entity (Wistar rats).</div>

Study on Effect of Lycopene Rich Tomato Puree Supplementation on Wellbeing/Healthiness in Hyperlipidemic Wistar Rats

Background: The Indian soft cheese variant known as paneer is a highly healthful and nutritious dairy product that serves as the foundation for a wide range of culinary specialties. One of the main factors reducing the likability of paneer by consumers is its bland flavour. By including natural compounds from herbs, spices andgrasses while making paneer, this might be avoided. In light of these factors, various researchers have developed new types and varieties of paneer. 
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Methods: This investigation was planned and conducted to optimize the % fat in milk (ranging from 3 to 4.5%), level of tomato puree (5 to 10%) and coagulation temperature (70 to 80&deg;C) for manufacture of tomato flavoured paneer (TFP) using response surface methodology. The sensory attributes of paneer viz., flavour, body and texture, colour and appearance and overall acceptability, were used as responses. 
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Result: The optimized process consisted of use of milk standardized to 3.7 per cent milk fat, addition of 10 per cent tomato puree (w/w of milk) and using a coagulation temperature of 78&deg;C. The experimental tomato flavoured paneer (TFP) was prepared as per the suggestions from response surface methodology (RSM) and compared with control paneer (CP) prepared from standardized milk containing 4.5% milk fat and 8.5% MSNF. The fat, Fat in dry matter (FDM) and ash content of TFP were significantly (P&lt;0.05) lower than that of CP, whereas moisture, carbohydrate, titratable acidity, vitamin-C, total dietary fibers and anti-oxidant activity of TFP were significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher than CP. All the textural properties viz. hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness and gumminess of samples containing tomato products were significantly (P&lt;0.05) lower compared to control. The flavour score of TFP were at par (P&gt;0.05) with CP while body and texture, colour and appearance and overall acceptability score of CP was significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher compared to TFP. 
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Optimizing Method for Manufacture of Tomato Flavoured Paneer using Response Surface Methodology

<div>Fruits and vegetables are a rich sources of different nutrients, pigments, secondary metabolites and other nutritional components which are beneficial and fundamental components for human health. In recent years, the consumption of coloured fruits and vegetables has increased significantly due to their superior nutritional characteristics. In this context, purple tomato is now gaining importance due to the high content of the pigment anthocyanins. This article provides knowledge on 1) Tomato in general and anthocyanin-rich purple tomato, 2) Benefits of anthocyanins in plants and human diet, 3) Strategies for development of purple tomato, 4) Better postharvest life of purple tomatoes, 5) Purple tomato in India and 6) Health benefits of purple tomato. Purple tomato fruits provide higher nutraceutical value as compared to the classical red tomato as it combines the health benefits of the anthocyanins along with other usual and known phytochemicals as already present in tomato fruit. Due to higher anthocyanins and antioxidative properties, purple tomatoes possess anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancerous, cardio-protective, hepto-protective and neuroprotective effects. Regular consumption of purple tomatoes has also been found effective in the prevention of certain chronic diseases of humans as well. The use of conventional breeding and modern transgenic approach is paving the way for higher anthocyanin and other nutraceuticals in tomato fruits. Higher anthocyanin content has also imparted enhanced shelf-life and better storability to purple tomatoes. In the coming time, the availability and popularity of purple tomatoes in India will be beneficial for farmers, processing industries and human health. This will also serve as another step forward towards attaining nutritional security.</div>

Purple Tomato - Importance and Scope: A Review

<div>Background:&nbsp;Due to their highly perishable nature, vegetables possess a higher chance of deterioration and damage after harvesting. Freezing is a potential preservation technique used to reduce the deterioration and increase the shelf life of vegetables by preventing the wastage of substantial quantities of tomatoes in Sri Lanka. 
 
Methods:&nbsp;In this research calcium chloride (2.4% w/w) pretreated Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato variety pieces were analyzed drip loss, pH, color, hardness, cutting shearing strength, ascorbic acid content and sensory parameters under air blast freezing (-30&deg;C, 3 ms-1 air velocity) and conventional freezing (-18&deg;C) conditions.&nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
Result:&nbsp;The L* values of colour, pH and ascorbic acid content were shown significant differences (p&lt;0.05) but a*, b* values, driploss%, cutting and shearing strength didn&rsquo;t show any significant differences (p&lt;0.05) during different freezing conditions. The magnitude of color change (∆E) is higher (p&lt;0.05) in conventional freezing treatment than in air-blast freezing. The preference among the panelists is significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher for blast frozen tomato samples than conventional frozen samples concerning color, odor, texture and overall quality parameters. According to the statistical analysis, air blast freezing preserve better physiochemical and sensory parameters of Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato varieties.</div>

Determination of the Effect of Freezing Methods on the Quality of Frozen Tomato Pieces

Background: Tomato is one of the most important and popular vegetable crop grown mainly in dry seasons in Bangladesh. The southern part of the country is suffering from soil salinity problem due to tidal floods. The increasing salinity in the cultivatable land causes huge crop failure. A dozen of tomato varieties have been developed but they are not been tested for salinity tolerance. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the tolerance level of tomato varieties against NaCl salinity stress at the vegetative stage.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The study comprised of four levels of electrical conductivity (EC) based NaCl salinity viz., EC 2 (control), EC 4, EC 6 and EC8 mS/cm and eight varieties of tomato. The two-factor pot experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. NaCl salinity was imposed on the tomato plants through a hydroponic culture system and the effects of salinity on shoot-roots traits were measured. 
 
Result: Results showed that morphological traits of tomato plants varied significantly with the salinity levels and variety. It is also noticed that all the vegetative traits reduced as salt concentrations increased in the solution. In combined effects of variety and salinity levels, it was found that BARI Tomato-17 performed superior. It can be concluded that variety BARI Tomato-17 showed comparatively salt tolerant than the other varieties.

Effect of Salinity (NaCl) Stress on Root-shoot Traits of Tomato in Hydroponic Culture

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: The post-harvest tomato fruit rot disease is common threat to the tomato fruit, causing huge economic loss as revealed by (GOP, 2018). The present study was conducted for isolation and identification of causative agent of tomato fruit rot in order to formulate the proper management stretegies.&nbsp; Methods: Study was conducted in three phases. Phase one included collection of tomato fruit samples from vicinity of Tandojam. In phase two pathogens were isolated from the samples at laboratory, while in the phase three pathogens were identified using standard procedures.&nbsp; Result: The experimental results indicated Alternaria solani as the main cause of post-harvest tomato fruit rot. The symptoms observed were presence of brown to black rot lesions on tomato fruits with distinct rings ranging from small pin-heads to whole surface of fruit. A total of six different fungi viz., Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria solani, Geotrichum candidum, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizopus stolonifer were found to be associated with post harvest tomato rot. Significantly higher infection was recorded for A. solani (53.667%) followed by A. niger (16.333%) and G. candidum (13.00%). The lowest infection percentage was observed for F. oxysporum (2.333%), followed by A. alternata (4.00%) and R. stolonifer (9.00%). A. solani produced aerial mycelium with yellowish to reddish diffusible pigments. A. niger cultures were typically black and colonies were initially whitish to yellow and later became brown to black in colour. G. candidum produced white and nonaerial colonies. F. oxysporum produced circular, aerial mycelium initially white, later changed to light pink. R. stolonifer produced whitish to grey fuzzy colonies.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Isolation and Identification of the Fungi Causing Tomato Fruit Rot Disease in the Vicinity of Tandojam, Sindh</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">The present study was undertaken to explore the characters highly responsible for yield of tomato. Genotypic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and yield contributing characters were studied for 18 tomato genotypes and data were recorded on plant height at maturity, number of branches per plant, days to 50 percent flowering, number of fruits per cluster, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, number of locule per fruit and fruit yield per plant. The experimental results revealed that the phenotypic variation was high as compared to genotypic variation for all the traits studied and maximum for yield per plant, average fruit weight and plant height. High PCV, GCV and genetic advance was observed for yield per plant, number of fruits per plant and number of locules per fruit indicating the additive genetic effect. Phenotypic selection for their improvement could be achieved by simple selection.</div>

Variability, heritability and genetic advance in tomato genotypes &nbsp;

<div>Background:&nbsp;Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are the most devastating pests of vegetables, especially in the tropic and subtropic regions. Meloidogyne incognita is among the major pathogens found in the tomato crop and causes a significant yield loss. This study evaluates the resistance and susceptible cultivar of tomato against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita). 
 
Methods: A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the resistance or susceptibility of nine tomato cultivars against M. incognita. Nine cultivars of tomato (Jyoti-4, Navuday, P-21, T9, Pusa-Rohini, Pusa-Sheetal, Pusa-Ruby, Tomato-Ped and Tomato-Round) were procured from Indian Institute of Agriculture Research (IARI), New Delhi and Chola seeds store Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Two weeks old seedlings of each cultivar were transplanted singly into each pot of 15 cm diameter (1 kg mixture of soil). Only one healthy seedling of each cultivar was maintained in each pot, including the control. Each pot was inoculated with 1500 freshly hatched second-stage juveniles (J2s) of M. incognita. This experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications of each cultivar. 
 
Result: According to the rating scale of galls and reductions in growth parameters, cultivars Pusa-Ruby and Tomato-Ped were found highly susceptible. Five cultivars, namely Jyoti-4, Navuday, Pusa-Sheetal, P-21 and Tomato-Round were found susceptible, while cultivar Pusa-Rohini was found moderately susceptible. Only one cultivar viz., T9, was found moderately resistant.</div>

Varietal Susceptibility and Disease Resistance of Tomato Cultivars against Meloidogyne incognita in Greenhouse Condition

Tomato is a most economic vegetable in India. Covers major area in its cultivation during crop production, it is threatened by major viral disease i.e tomato leaf curl disease, caused by begomovirus and transmitted by the vector. It causes yield loss up to 90-100 per cent, application of insecticide for the control of vector causes regular outbreak. Identification of resistant source from wild species and their introgression with susceptible source, development of lines/varieties, resistant/tolerant to Tomato leaf curl disease is the safest and long term alternative for solving this problem. This paper covers the major aspect related to virus, virus causing factors, vectors and sources of disease resistance and also breeding tools employed for its resistance and some of the barriers in&nbsp;breeding programme.