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Maturation of fleshy fruits such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is subject to tight genetic control. Here we describe the development of a quantitative real‐time PCR platform that allows accurate quantification of the expression level of approximately 1000 tomato transcription factors. In addition to utilizing this novel approach, we performed cDNA microarray analysis and metabolite profiling of primary and secondary metabolites using GC‐MS and LC‐MS, respectively. We applied these platforms to pericarp material harvested throughout fruit development, studying both wild‐type Solanum lycopersicum cv. Ailsa Craig and the hp1 mutant. This mutant is functionally deficient in the tomato homologue of the negative regulator of the light signal transduction gene DDB1 from Arabidopsis, and is furthermore characterized by dramatically increased pigment and phenolic contents. We choose this particular mutant as it …