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Chemical characterization of different colored tomatoes: application of biochemical and spectroscopic tools
* 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 1 , 1
1  Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
2  Institute for Vegetable Crops Smederevska Palanka, 11420 Smederevska Palanka, Serbia
Academic Editor: Luigi De Bellis

Abstract:

Tomato fruit quality is determined by a combination of different nutritive and health characteristics that are highly genotypic depend. Due to high demands for the products with improved nutritive and sensory attributes, traditional varieties are always a useful source of desirable characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fruit quality parameters in three traditional tomato genotypes with different colors: dark tomato, yellow tomato "Hilandarski" and pink tomato "Pirotski rozni". Tomatoes were grown in the open field conditions and morphological, biochemical and spectroscopic analysis were performed in ripe phase. The results indicated on characteristic genotypic differences in morphological as well as biochemical characteristics of the fruits. The yellow colored fruit tomato genotype had the highest content of soluble solids, organic acid, TSS/TTA ratio and vitamin C, but the lowest content of lycopene and b-carotene compared to other genotypes. Genotypic differences in the carotenoid content and components also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. In the Raman spectra of the pericarp regions significant bands are mainly associated with carotenoid constituents and observed at 1507, 1147 and 997 cm-1 in dark and pink tomato genotypes and 1518, 1149 and 999 cm-1 in yellow tomato. PCA showed the characteristic response of the yellow genotype that was primarily related to the region of b-carotene and lycopene. The score plot of the pericarp regions of three tomatoes suggests the existence of two distinct clusters along the PC1 axis. The first one includes the pink and dark tomato fruit genotypes, while the yellow fruit genotype forms the second. The analyses indicated on the advantage of the yellow tomato genotype related to nutritional and sensory compounds compared to other genotypes, and his potential in a breeding program in order to improve traits related to consumer perception in new cultivars.

Keywords: colored fruit tomatoes; Raman spectroscopy; fruit quality; carotenoids
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