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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #300787

Title: Physicochemical and morphological analysis of ten tomato varieties identifies quality traits more readily manipulated through breeding and traditional selection methods

Author
item Breksa, Andrew
item Robertson, Larry
item Labate, Joanne
item King, Benjamin
item King, Darwin

Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2015
Publication Date: 3/30/2015
Citation: Breksa Iii, A.P., Robertson, L.D., Labate, J.A., King, B.A., King, D.E. 2015. Physicochemical and morphological analysis of ten tomato varieties identifies quality traits more readily manipulated through breeding and traditional selection methods. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 42:16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jfca.2015.02.011.

Interpretive Summary: Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are an important source of nutrients in contemporary diets due to readily available fresh fruit and processed products, their popularity, and the sheer volume consumed. This study is part of a larger project undertaken by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to characterize the tomato varieties that are part of the U.S.A. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). A diverse set of ten historic U.S.A. tomato varieties were selected and characterized for their fruit quality (including antioxidant content), size and shape traits using samples from replicated field trials across two environments. There were significant differences between the varieties for the majority of the morphological and quality traits measured. Brix and total titratable acids (TTA) measurements were highly correlated with the respective HPLC determinations of carbohydrates and organic acids suggesting that the technically simpler methods (Brix and TTA) are sufficient for characterizing the sugar and acid contents of large sample sets.

Technical Abstract: Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are an important source of nutrients in contemporary diets due to readily available fresh fruit and processed products, their popularity, and the sheer volume consumed. This study is part of a larger project undertaken by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to catalogue the phenotypic and underlying genomic polymorphisms of the tomato varieties that are part of the U.S.A. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Characterization efforts have traditionally emphasized morphological traits important to breeders and producers. Consumer demand for nutritive value and enhanced levels of health promoting compounds, such as antioxidants, now requires that these traits also be included in crop improvement. A diverse set of ten historic U.S.A. tomato varieties were selected and characterized for their fruit quality, size and shape traits using samples from replicated field trials across two environments. The majority (45) of the 52 fruit morphological and quality traits measured in this study showed significant genotypic differences. Results for measurements of bioactive components such as total soluble phenolics and antioxidant content using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay were among the variables that did not show significant differences among the varieties, whereas antioxidant activity determined using the 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical cation decolorization assay showed significant differences among genotypes. Genotypic variance for morphological traits and multiple regression models for quality traits identified fruit shape (height:width ratio), red color (CIE a*) and the Brix:TA ratio as traits that would be more readily manipulated through breeding and traditional selection methods. Brix and total titratable acids (TTA) measurements were highly correlated with the respective HPLC determinations of carbohydrates and organic acids suggesting that the technically simpler methods (Brix and TTA) are sufficient for characterizing the sugar and acid contents of large sample sets.