*2.6. Total Phenols Content and Antioxidant Activity*

EO-treatment tended to decrease or not to affect fruit total phenols content, and the effects did not attain statistical significance (Figure 6A,B). However, non-treated fruits with EOs, revealed increased levels of total phenolics up to seven days of storage, but this effect did not persist thereafter. Antioxidant activity measured by ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity methods was reduced in breaker tomatoes exposed to EO for two days. However, at seven days of storage DPPH activity was increased in EO-treated breaker tomatoes (Figure 6C,E). Moreover, pre-exposed fruit to 500 μL L−<sup>1</sup> of EO following storage of additional 7 days in ambient air revealed decreased DPPH levels, compared to the relevant control at 14 days of storage. In red tomatoes, DPPH antioxidant capacity of fruit was increased with the 500 μL L−<sup>1</sup> of EO application, and this effect was persisted in pre-

exposed fruits as well (Figure 6D). FRAP activity was not changed during storage and/or EO application (Figure 6F).

**Figure 5.** Impacts of sage essential oil (EO) on *β*-carotene (nmol g−1), lycopene (nmol g−1) and ascorbic acid (mg g−1) in tomato fruit at breaker (**A**,**C**,**E**) and red (**B**,**D**,**F**) ripening stage, exposed to ambient air (control) or EO (50 or 500 μL L<sup>−</sup>1) for 2, 7, and 14 days (sustain effect—S) or up to 7 days and then transferred to ambient air for an additional 7 days (memory effect—M). Fruits were maintained throughout at 11 ◦C and 90% RH. Values represent mean (±SE) of measurements made on eight independent fruit per treatment and storage period. Means followed by different Latin letters significantly differ according to Duncan's MRT (*p* = 0.05).
