Effect of Plant Extracts on Chemical Quality Attributes of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is highly perishable, and postharvest changes can reduce its nutritional and sensory quality. This study evaluated the effects of Annona muricata leaf extract, Tamarindus indica pod extract, and their combination at 25, 50, and 75% concentrations on the chemical quality of Rio Grande, Stainless, and Serial tomato varieties during 30 days of ambient storage in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria. The 3 × 3 × 4 factorial experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Fruits were stored at 32 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 5% relative humidity and assessed at three-day intervals for total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), vitamin C, lycopene, and TSS-to-acidity ratio. During storage, TSS, pH, and TSS-to-acidity ratio generally increased, whereas TA and vitamin C declined. Changes were more pronounced in untreated fruits. At day 30, untreated fruits recorded 8.27 °Brix TSS and 0.09% TA, while fruits treated at 25–75% concentrations recorded 2.99–3.08 °Brix TSS and 0.72–0.73% TA. Vitamin C retention was numerically highest under the combined extract treatment (21.09 mg 100 g⁻¹), while Serial recorded the highest varietal lycopene value (12.75). At the concentration level, 50% treatment produced the highest numerical lycopene value (12.70). Overall, botanical treatments moderated several storage-related chemical changes, with the combined extract performing well for selected attributes. These findings suggest that A. muricata and T. indica extracts merit further evaluation as potential postharvest treatments for tomato. Because some reported values and ratios require verification, the results should be interpreted alongside the original data and statistical output.