Evaluation of Physico-chemical Characteristics, Antioxidant Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in Creole Tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum L. and S. pimpinellifolium L.) in an Aquaponic System or Organic Soil

Abstract

Tomatoes (Solanum spp.), could be produced in an aquaponic system with fertilizer supplementation to optimize tomato production, since the small amount of fine soil and nutrients from Yucatan soils limits tomato cultivation. It is necessary to investigate that farming system allows the production of tomatoes without affecting their composition and content of biologically active compounds. The work was undertaken to evaluate physico-chemical characteristics, content of antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity of genotypes of creole tomatoes cv. Costoluto Genovese (CG) (S. lycopersicum L.) and wild (S. pimpinellifolium L.) grown in an aquaponic system (inorganically fertilized) and in soil (organically fertilized). Physiologically ripe tomatoes were harvested, cleaned, washed, dried, and homogenized (skin, pulp, and seed). The chemical composition, hue angle, chromaticity, pH, acidity, total soluble solids (TSS) were determined as were total phenols (TP), flavonoids (TF), and carotenoids (TC). Antioxidant activity was assessed with 2,2ʹ-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods. There were no differences in TP (from 2756.06 ± 694.07 to 3369.06 ± 1267.85 mg GAE/100 g dm) and TF (from 551.30 ± 184.68 mg QE/100 g dm to 596.56 ± 121.75 mg QE/100 g dm) content between tomatoes harvested from aquaponic and soil systems. Acidity ranged from 0.27 to 0.29%. The TSS, TC, and antioxidant capacity properties were higher in aquaponic tomatoes (7.28 ± 0.74°Brix, 45.81 ± 9.13 mg β-carotene/100 g dm). No differences were due to cropping system and genotype for antioxidant capacity (DPPH = 4096.93 ± 519.65 μM TEAC/100 g dm). The aquaponic system could be an alternative to production of creole tomatoes since it does not affect their physico-chemical characteristics, antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity.