The growing global demand for organic sun-dried tomatoes has heightened the importance of enhancing tomato value through drying and integrating them into agricultural-based industries. Among the key factors influencing the quality and yield of dried tomatoes is the cultivar used. This study aimed to evaluate the drying performance and quality characteristics of five different F1 hybrid tomato cultivars (‘Albeni’, ‘Eden’, ‘Toro’, ‘Zeplin’, and ‘SV1491TM’) grown under organic conditions. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates per cultivar. Tomatoes harvested at full maturity were halved, sprinkled with 2% salt, and sun-dried. The results showed that the cultivars significantly affected the quality attributes of the final dried product. Cultivar had a direct influence on fruit weight, diameter, color, dry matter content, pH, total soluble solids, lycopene, and total phenolic content. In contrast, its effects on antioxidant activity, salt content, and mold–yeast load were limited. ‘Albeni’ and ‘Toro’ cultivars exhibited the highest total soluble solids content (68.93% and 61.97%, respectively), drying yield (8.14% and 8.72%), titratable acidity (5.97% and 5.39%), and lycopene content (0.77 and 0.61 mg g-1 dry matter, respectively). Based on the overall results, ‘Albeni’ and ‘Toro’ were identified as the most suitable cultivars for organic sun-dried tomato production, offering advantages in both drying yield and quality.
Saygıner et al. (Tue,) studied this question.