Dehydration of Seeds in Intact Tomato Fruits

Although the moisture content of the placenta and pericarp of tomato fruits older than 15 days never dropped below about 94 percent, the seeds dehydrated to approximately 50 percent moisture as these organs developed and matured. There was a loss in the total amount, as well as the percentage, of water per seed. Part of this dehydration was mediated by the seeds themselves and part appeared to be due to other portions of the fruit.