NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF CANNED BEETS AND TOMATOES GROWN IN A SUBTROPICAL AREA

Canned whole tomatoes and beets were collected from three canning plants in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, 3 times during the canning period and stored for 1 yr. Nutrient analyses revealed that fat, fiber, protein, iron, riboflavin, niacin, carbohydrate and caloric values of the tomatoes and ash, fat, fiber, calcium, iron, protein, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin of the beets were not changed by canning plant procedures, time of harvest during the canning period, or during 1 yr of storage. Tomatoes canned in plant C were consistently higher in total dry solids than those canned in plants A and B. The total dry solids in beets decreased slightly in the late harvest. Vitamin C decreased in tomatoes from each canning plant during storage. The ash content of tomatoes canned in plant A was lower than ash in tomatoes from plants B and C. Vitamin A in tomatoes increased in late harvest but decreased during storage. Beets canned in plants A and B decreased in carbohydrate and caloric values during the canning period. Canning plant operators in this subtropical area might expect values for fat and Vitamin A in tomatoes and of fat, calcium, iron, thiamine and riboflavin in beets to differ from the corresponding values listed in USDA Handbook No. 8.