Beniel, km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
2 Research Group \"Food Quality and Safety\", Department of Plant Science and Microbiology, Escuela Politecnica Superior de O'Hinuela (EPSO), Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Eliche (UMH), Ctra. Beniel, km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]
minimum quality requirements, categories according to quality, sizes, homogeneity, packaging, labeling, contaminants, and hygiene are detailed. It is important to determine physical quality parameters such as color, size, weight, and shape to understand the first approach of consumers towards tomatoes on the marketplace [3]; however, chemical parameters such as total soluble solid content (TSS), volatile, sugar, and organic acid profiles can influence consumer acceptability and fidelity to the type and brand of tomatoes they first approach by their appearance [4; 5]. Today, consumers also want to consume tomatoes because of their beneficial effects on the human body, mainly linked to their high contents of mineral elements (K and P), vitamin C, and their antioxidant potential properties. The antioxidant capacity of tomatoes is mainly due to their lycopene content; this compound is a natural carotenoid responsible for their red color and represents \(\sim\)80% of tomato pigments [6; 7]. Currently, one of the most important tomato varieties is _Solanum Lyopersicum_ var. _cerasiforme_, which are known as cherry or cocktail tomatoes. The most peculiar characteristic of these fruits is their small size and that they are a one-bite-fruit. The best-selling cultivars of this type of tomatoes are Katalina (round-ones) and Angelle (pear-ones), characterized by their intense flavor and with high consumer acceptance. Studies comparing cherry with large-size tomatoes have shown that the former have higher contents of both sugars and organic acids, leading to a more intense tomato flavor. Moreover, cherry tomatoes also had higher contents of organic volatile compounds which clearly contributed to a more intense odor and aroma [8]. Previous studies revealed that some of the fundamental factors of the commercialization of tomatoes are related to volatile compounds, organic acids, and sugars [4; 9]. Even the sugar content has been related to the better acceptability for the tomato consumer [10]. Taking advantage of the new drying technologies, a study was carried out relating these techniques to tomato flavor [11]. All these studies demonstrate that there is a lack of studies regarding the sensory analysis of cherry tomatoes in relation to the food field. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare 8 cultivars of cherry tomatoes (4 pear or teardrop and 4 round cherry cultivars) to be able to decide which ones are similar and could replace the most popular ones in markets (Angelle (pear-ones) and Katalina (round-ones)). Morphology, color, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, sugars, organic acids, and volatile compounds were measured and analyzed, and sensory evaluation was carried out by both trained panelists and consumers to prove if the shape has an influence on the physico-chemical and sensory parameters of cherry tomatoes.