Antioxidant Characterization of Six Tomato Cultivars and Derived Products Destined for Human Consumption

Abstract

The consumption of fresh tomatoes and processed tomato products is widespread in the Mediterranean diet. This fruit is a valuable source of antioxidants and plays an important role in preventing oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the content of antioxidants and measure the total antioxidant capacity (ABTS and DPPH assays) in the peel, pulp, and seed fractions of six tomato cultivars. Finally, some bioactive compounds and total antioxidant activity were also determined in homemade tomato purees, since such homemade production is commonplace in Southern Italy. The level of antioxidants and total antioxidant capacity in each fraction were also calculated based on their actual fresh weight in the whole tomato. The overall results indicated that the peel and seeds of all analysed tomato cultivars contribute significantly to the antioxidant charge of the fruits. Consequently, consuming tomatoes without peel and seeds results in a substantial loss of compounds beneficial for human health. Our results also showed that phenolic and lycopene content, as well as antioxidant activities in all purees are higher than in fresh tomatoes. Based on this evidence, producing homemade tomato puree is a good practice, and its consumption helps prevent oxidative stress damage.

Pretreated Agro-Industrial Effluents as a Source of Nutrients for Tomatoes Grown in a Dual Function Hydroponic System: Tomato Quality Assessment

“…Among the factors influencing the TPh content, the type of tomato variety and environmental factors, such as light, temperature, fertilization mode and growing season, are the most relevant. The method of analysis can also influence the TPh results, as the extraction efficiency depends on the solvent used [59,60], and the TPh content varies according to the tomato fraction under analysis, being higher in the skin, followed by the seeds and lower in the pulp [38,61]. Generally, cherry tomatoes have higher TPh content than other tomato cultivars since they have a higher skin/pulp ratio [62].…”

Tomato seed extract promotes health of the gut microbiota and demonstrates a potential new way to valorize tomato waste

“…These tomato seed fractions have been proposed for use in food products as a supplemental source of protein, and oil and fat for prepared foods [ 16 , 18 , 19 ]. In vitro , proteins isolated from tomato seeds were found to exhibit antibacterial and antioxidant properties [ 20 ], and phenolic compounds and antioxidants extracted from tomato seeds were demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer (anti-proliferation) activity [ 10 , 21 ]. In vivo , tomato seed oil attenuated hyperlipidemia and reduced cholesterol absorption in mice [ 22 ] and was radioprotective [ 23 ].…”

Construction of Riboswitches for Screening Antibacterial Agents from Forest Plants

“…This region has an average annual temperature of 17.5-18.5 • C and receives about 1300 mm of rain a year. A large number of bioactive compounds with various physiological activities, such as antioxidant activity (catechins and tea polysaccharides extracted from tea), antibacterial activity (flavonoids extracted from orange peel and tea leaves) [4][5][6], antiviral activity (flavonoids and polyphenols extracted from Isatis tinctoria), antineoplastic activity (paclitaxel extracted from Taxus L.), immunoregulatory activity (ginsenoside extracted from Panax ginseng C. A. Mey), antimicrobial activity, lipid-lowering activity, and so on [7][8][9][10][11], could be acquired from different plants. Bouvardin is one of the bacteriostatic agents produced in plant cells when infected by fungus and pathogenic microorganisms, or when exposed to toxic chemicals and ultraviolet light [12][13][14].…”