Bioactive compounds in 28 native tomato accessions from southeast Mexico

Abstract

The diverse populations of native tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Mexico have great potential for breeding and nutraceutical benefits, but information on their secondary metabolites is scarce. Here we quantified bioactive compounds with nutraceutical potential in 28 native tomato accessions across southeastern Mexico. Plants were grown from seeds, transplanted to fields in a completely randomized block design with three replications of each accession and assessed for antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, ß-carotene, lycopene, and other carotenoids. The results revealed significant differences in these variables among accessions. accessions Y129 (ß-carotene and lycopene), Y115, T107, and C108 (antioxidant activity), Y123 (flavonoids), and Y119 (carotenoids) had especially substantial nutraceutical value. These accessions could be incorporated into a breeding program to develop new tomato varieties with enhanced nutraceutical quality to improve health, especially in rural areas where these accessions are now grown and consumed, and are important sources of genetic diversity worth conserving.