Highlights of sixty years of processing tomato research in California

Tomato processing is an integral part of CaliforniaRSQUOs economy and research on tomato breeding, disease resistance and improved quantity and quality of processed tomato products supports this industry. Since 1957, the California League of Food Producers (CLFP) (www.clfp.com) has been funding research on tomato processing. The CLFP has represented both large and small food processors and beverage producers in California since 1905. Research reports dating back to 1957 were reviewed and summaries will be made of the following: 1) topic of research; 2) financial allocation per year; 3) accumulated financial allocation; and 4) average funding per project. Comparison will be made to more production-related research funded by the California Tomato Research Institute (CTRI) over the past 50 years. From 1957-2000, the largest amount of research funding was allocated to the topic of tomato breeding or advanced backcross breeding. Pest and disease resistance were also of great interest, however, after about 2001, very few of these projects were funded. It may be that CTRI funding of breeding and pest/disease resistance became more predominant at this time. Processing studies for new tomato cultivars were an important topic from 1974-2013, at which time the University of California-Davis project was superseded by more extensive studies carried out by two California seed suppliers. Additional research topics of interest included tomato sorting, pectic enzymes and consistency, color, rapid measurement of mold, peelability and quality, and numerous others. Research spanning the 60-year period from 1957 to 2017 will be summarized, and potential topics for future research will be identified. In addition, the potential for international collaborations with other WPTC members will be discussed.