Fresh tomato seeds often come away from the fruit with a little bit of white on one side that disappears when the seed is dried. Although sometimes seeds do sprout if they are left too long, it's also easy to mistake this bit of white for an emerging root. I would let all the seeds dry first, because if you sprout a few while they are still wet you could still convince yourself that the white material really was a root, when it probably isn't. So dry the seeds for a week or two as usual, and then if you have enough seeds, pick out a few and do your germination test. If the white you saw on the fresh seed was a root, it won't regrow after being dried out and none of the seeds will sprout. But I think they'll be fine.

-- BC --

Thanks for the input!
Paul.

I have had tomato seeds sprout during fermentation, when the temps were hot or I forgot about them for a day. You can tell whether what you see is a root or a piece of core by using a good magnifying glass; where there is one sprouted, you will find others.

If you find roots, the seed lot is useless. If you still have tomatoes on the vine, start over with fresh seed, and keep a close eye on them. Rules of time don't always work; examine the seed daily (more often if possible) and when the gel no longer surrounds the seeds, they are done. Rinse & dry them immediately.