Influence of Crop System Fruit Quality, Carotenoids, Fatty Acids and Phenolic Compounds in Cherry Tomatoes

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables in the world, and its intake is known to be beneficial for human health. The nutritional quality of tomato is connected with numerous factors namely the cultivation system. To achieve the highest fruit quality and yield, the cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. Moscatel RZ) was cultivated in three cultivation systems and its nutritional quality was evaluated. The highest fruit productivity, 2135–2240 g plant−1 dry weight (dw), was observed for the cherry tomatoes grown in the soilless systems. The cherry tomato from the hydroponic culture had the highest protein (13.41% dw), lipid (3.20% dw), sugar (354.94 mg g−1 dw) and taste index (1.24). It also comprised high amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, like oleic (1.28 mg g−1 dw) and linoleic acids (5.42 mg g−1 dw). With respect to cherry tomato from the organic culture, higher contents of carotenoids—lycopene (47.1 mg kg−1 dw) and polyphenols (56.7 mg GAE 100 g−1 dw) were verified. Flavonoids were the main family of phenolic compounds found in the cherry tomato. The highest levels of chalconaringenin (51.95 mg 100 g−1 dw) and rutin (39.69 mg 100 g−1 dw) were observed in the cherry tomatoes cultivated through organic practices. This study shows that the agronomic system greatly influences the different characteristics associated with fruit quality. Hydroponic cultures presented higher quality, namely texture and taste, while the higher amounts of bioactive compounds were found in the organic culture.