Texture of fruit not only affects consumer preference, but
also has a significant impact on shelf life and transportability.
Shelf life is the recommended maximum time for which
products can be stored, during which the defined quality of
a specified proportion of the goods remains acceptable under
expected (or specified) conditions of distribution, storage,
and display. High quality tomato has a firm, turgid appearance,
uniform and shiny colour, without signs of mechanical
injuries, shrivelling or decay. Mature-green tomatoes have a
storage life of 1–3 weeks in normal atmosphere storage (NA)
at 13–21 °C (Burg, 2004). In the present study, both melatonin-
treated and control groups had a similar shelf life and a
good merchantability at 21 DAT.