Influence of harvest stage and rootstock genotype on compositional and sensory profile of the elongated tomato cv. “Sir Elyan”

The present experiment addressed the effects of two harvest stages, namely breaker (S1) and turning (S2), on compositional and sensory profile of grafted, greenhouse elongated tomatoes cv. “Sir Elyan”. The rootstocks “He-Man”, “Interpro”, and “Armstrong” were used. The S1 fruits showed a higher dry matter content, firmness and titratable acidity when compared to the S2 ones (by 6%, 3%, and 15%, respectively). They showed, also, the highest L-ascorbic acid concentration and antioxidant activity. Differently, soluble solid content, lycopene and β-carotene increased in the S2 fruits (by 4%, 92%, and 26%, respectively). Excepting methyl salicylate, all the volatiles detected peaked in the S2 fruits, which were scored by panelists as sweeter and more flavorful than the S1 ones. Among the rootstock genotypes, “He-Man” promoted fruits firmness, carotenoids concentration and antioxidant activity, irrespective of the harvest stage. “Interpro” enhanced the sensory attributes of the S1 fruits in terms of bitterness, sourness, sweetness and flavor. Differently, sweetness, sourness, and tomato flavor of the S2 fruits were promoted by “Armstrong”. The results highlight the influence of rootstock genotype on the nutraceutical and sensorial profile of “Sir Elyan” fruits harvested at early ripening stages.