## 3 Results and Discussion
### Physicochemical Parameters of Tomato Flesl During Storage  
The physicochemical parameters of the tomatoes, such as water activity, moisture content, total soluble solids (Brix), firmness (N), and hue angle (h) were evaluated and are presented in Table 2. These parameters were measured 6 times during 24 days of storage at 15 \(\pm\) 0.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C and relative humidity of 60 \(\pm\) 2%. Water activity demonstrated a significant (\(p\) < 0.05) decrease at day 10, stabilization until day 17, and then increased until the end of the storage period, maintaining a significantly higher value at the end of storage. Moisture content (%) showed a significant increase and decrease on days 17 and 24, respectively, remaining statistically higher at the end of the storage period. According to the literature data, the high relative humidity at \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **aw** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Moisture** \\ **(\%w/w)** \\ \end{tabular} & **Brix (Degrees)** & **Firmness (N)** &
\begin{tabular}{c} **h Inner** \\ **(Degrees)** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Day 3 & 0.9914 \(\pm\) 0.0012 ab \({}^{\ast}\) & 93.81 \(\pm\) 0.23a & 5.4 \(\pm\) 0.1a & 10.66 \(\pm\) 0.67a & 36.60 \(\pm\) 1.10a \\ Day 7 & 0.9935 \(\pm\) 0.0018a & 93.51 \(\pm\) 0.15a & 6.0 \(\pm\) 0.1b & 10.17 \(\pm\) 0.30a & 36.56 \(\pm\) 1.52a \\ Day 10 & 0.9894 \(\pm\) 0.0020b & 93.56 \(\pm\) 0.17a & 5.3 \(\pm\) 0.2a & 9.93 \(\pm\) 0.33a & 35.43 \(\pm\) 0.80a \\ Day 14 & 0.9924 \(\pm\) 0.0014 ab & 93.56 \(\pm\) 0.14a & 6.1 \(\pm\) 0.2b & 8.93 \(\pm\) 0.27b & 34.62 \(\pm\) 1.50a \\ Day 17 & 0.9925 \(\pm\) 0.0020 ab & 94.67 \(\pm\) 0.34b & 5.0 \(\pm\) 0.1c & 9.02 \(\pm\) 0.29b & 35.00 \(\pm\) 0.99a \\ Day 24 & 0.9969 \(\pm\) 0.0007c & 94.15 \(\pm\) 0.09c & 5.0 \(\pm\) 0.1c & 8.79 \(\pm\) 0.28b & 39.06 \(\pm\) 1.11b \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} \({}^{\ast}\) Statistically (\(p\) < 0.05) different values are illustrated by different letters in the same column.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Water activity, moisture content, brix, firmness, and hue angle (h) of tomato flesh over storage of 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 24 days. Figure 6: Scatter diagram, principal component, and truth tables of the discrimination, among tomato peel samples at days 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 24, employing the intensities of the ATR-FTIR spectral bands. 60 \(\pm\) 2% in the tomato samples' preservation oven could be responsible for the lack of moisture loss and the slight but noticeable increase in both moisture and water activity during storage [9, 46]. Moreover, the packaging material could prevent moisture loss by limiting water dehydration [9, 29], increasing the storability of the fresh vegetables and fruits. In addition, [PERSON] et al. (2017) reported that water loss from fruits and vegetables leads to undesirable metabolic changes in cells and activation of enzymatic processes, accelerating ageing and reducing nutritional value [48]. The level of total soluble solids (TSS) is indicative of the taste quality of the fruit and is representative of the quantity of soluble minerals and sugars existing in the fresh fruit [63]. The TSS of tomatoes are strongly influenced by storage temperature and moisture content [9, 64]. Total soluble solids of tomatoes increased (\(p\) < 0.05) between days 3 and 7 of storage and decreased (\(p\) < 0.05) between days 7 and 10. Then, TSS increased (\(p\) < 0.05) again from day 10 to 14, and significantly declined from day 14 to day 17. After that, there was no longer any discernible statistically significant difference. Consistent with our results, [PERSON] et al. (2013) described that the maximum TSS content of fresh tomato varieties was recorded on day 16 of storage under ambient temperature, after which a decreasing trend in solids was observed for all varieties [64]. The increase in TSS during storage is mainly due to polysaccharides (hemicellulose and pectin) conversion to oligosaccharides and simple sugars [9, 65], whereas the reduction may be linked to the use of total sugars through respiration during the storage period [29].