A two year study was conducted in the high tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), production area of the country (Central and Lusaka Provinces). Tomatoes for the market are packed in wooden boxes, open metal basins and grass baskets. Approx. 5-10% and 20-30% of the fruits packed in wooden boxes, basins and baskets respectively got damaged in transit from site of production to the market. Damage of fruits in wooden boxes was mainly due to the transportation in vehicles of overipe fruits on bumpy roads. Regarding the other containers damage was caused by stacking the containers, on top of each other as well as having different types of produce on top. Most of the damaged fruits could not be sold as the tomato processing industry is not yet well developed.
Utilization of By-product from Tomato Processing Industry for the Development of New Product
