Antioxidant compounds content in red-purple tree tomato grown at different altitudes (m.a.s.l.)

Abstract

(Received: 2013/03/07 - Accepted: 2013/06/17)

The aim of this research was to study the antioxidant compounds content in Red-purple treetomato grown at different altitudes (m.a.s.l.). Fruits from Pelileo (2660 m.a.s.l.) and Chiquicha(2440 m.a.s.l.) in three maturity stages (unripe, ripe and overripe) were used. Physicochemical(surface and internal color, pH, titratable total acidity -TTA- and total soluble solids -SST-) andbiochemical analyses using UV-Vis spectrophotometry (total phenol -TF-, total anthocyanins -TA-, total carotenes -CT-, L-ascorbic acid -AA- and antioxidant capacity -AC-) in the mesocarpand endocarp of fruits were performed. In the color, higher values of L* (epicarp) and h*(epicarp and mesocarp) in unripe, ripe and overripe fruits from Chiquicha were obtained, whileC* values of mesocarp and endocarp was higher in those from Pelileo. The color differenceswere evident during fruit ripening, but a direct relationship between crop altitude and changes in color parameters analyzed wasn’t found. There was a significantly higher difference in the pH oftomatoes (unripe and ripe) from Chiquicha. Also, these fruits had higher TTA (ripe and overripe)and TSS (overripe) than those from Pelileo. The mesocarp showed higher content of TF and TCin the fruits (three maturity stages) from Chiquicha, while higher concentration of thesecompounds showed the endocarp from Pelileo’s fruit. The TA and AA content was higher in ripefruits from Chiquicha. In general, the fruits from Chiquicha showed higher concentration ofantioxidant compounds, possibly because the plantation, consisting of at least two genotypes, islocated in a mountainous area with good characteristics for this fruit cultivation.