Innovative Protein Gel Treatments to Improve the Quality of Tomato Fruit
Gabriela Luta,
Daniela Balan,
Maria Stanca,
Ovidiu Jerca,
Stefana Jurcoane,
Mihaela Niculescu,
Carmen Gaidau,
Ioana Rodica Stanculescu
Affiliations
Gabriela Luta
Faculty of Biotechnologies, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăsti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Daniela Balan
Faculty of Biotechnologies, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăsti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Maria Stanca
Leather Research Department, Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, Research and Development National Institute for Textiles and Leather, 93, Ion Minulescu Str., 031215 Bucharest, Romania
Ovidiu Jerca
Faculty of Biotechnologies, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăsti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Stefana Jurcoane
Faculty of Biotechnologies, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăsti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Mihaela Niculescu
Leather Research Department, Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, Research and Development National Institute for Textiles and Leather, 93, Ion Minulescu Str., 031215 Bucharest, Romania
Carmen Gaidau
Leather Research Department, Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, Research and Development National Institute for Textiles and Leather, 93, Ion Minulescu Str., 031215 Bucharest, Romania
Ioana Rodica Stanculescu
Department of Analytical and Physical Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Bd., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
This study aims to establish the effect of biostimulatory protein gels on the quality of tomato. One of the most consumed vegetables, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a rich source of healthy constituents. Two variants of protein gels based on bovine gelatin and keratin hydrolysates obtained from leather industry byproducts were used for periodical application on the tomato plant roots in the early stage of vegetation. The gels were characterized by classical physicochemical methods and protein secondary structure was obtained by FTIR band deconvolution. After ripening, tomato was analyzed regarding its content of quality indicators (sugars and organic acids) and antioxidants (lycopene, β-carotene, vitamin C, polyphenols). The results emphasized the positive effects of the protein gels on the quality parameters of tomato fruit. An increase of 10% of dry matter and of 30% (in average) in the total soluble sugars was noted after biostimulant application. Also, lycopene and vitamin C recorded higher values (by 1.44 and 1.29 times, respectively), while β-carotene showed no significant changes. The biostimulant activity of protein gels was correlated with their amino acid composition. Plant biostimulants are considered an ecological alternative to conventional treatments for improving plant growth, and also contributing to reduce the intake of chemical fertilizers.
