HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis of phenolic compounds in four tomato varieties and evaluation of the antioxidant capacity
Artigo de Conferência
Visão geral
Visão geral
resumo
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is the second most important vegetable
crop worldwide and a key component in the so-called “Mediterranean diet”. In the
Northeastern region of Portugal, local populations still prefer to consume traditional
tomato varieties which they find very tasty and healthy, as they are grown using
extensive farming techniques. A previous study of our research team described the
nutritional value of the round (batateiro), long (comprido), heart (coração) and yellow
(amarelo) tomato varieties [1], but the phenolic profile was unknown until now. Thus,
the objective of this study was to characterize the phenolic profiles of these four tomato
farmers’ varieties by using HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and evaluate its antioxidant capacity
through four in vitro assays based on different reaction mechanisms.
A cis p-coumaric acid derivative was the most abundant compound in yellow
and round tomato varieties, while 4-O-caffeolyquinic acid was the most abundant in
long and heart varieties. The most abundant flavonoid was quercetin
pentosylrutinoside in the four tomato varieties. Yellow tomato presented the highest
levels of phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids and flavonoids, but the lowest
antioxidant activity. In turn, the round tomato gave the best results in all the antioxidant
activity assays. This study demonstrated that these tomato farmers’ varieties are a
source of phenolic compounds, mainly phenolic acid derivatives [2], and possess high
antioxidant capacity [1]; being thus key elements in the diet to prevent chronic
degenerative diseases associated to oxidative stress, such as cancer and coronary
artery disease.
