ABSTRACT
Tomato is one of the more popular fruits cultivated and consumed in a large number of countries throughout the world. Besides texture and colour, flavour characteristics are an important factor taken into account by the consumer. The characteristic flavour of tomato is mainly due to volatile and small, water-soluble non-volatile components. Their structure and origin are very different. Most volatile compounds responsible for tomato aroma derive mainly from fatty acids and amino acids but pigments such as lycopene and carotenoids can also be precursors of qualitatively important aroma compounds. Reducing sugars and free acids are at the origin of the sweet-sour taste of tomato but minerals and nitrogen compounds can also intervene as potential taste-active compounds. However, aroma and taste components quantitatively vary greatly according to many factors such as the tomato species, stage of ripeness, year of growth and conditions of cultivation. For the past few years, consumers seem increasingly to desire improved flavour of commercial tomato varieties; therefore, research on tomato flavour and selection of more “savoury” products are fully justified.
