Antioxidant and bioactive components (Carotenoid content) of tomato selection

Twenty tomato genotypes from the Institute for Vegetable Crops, Smederevska Palanka, Serbia were grouped in order to define the start material for breeding of cherry type tomato. Grouping was performed according to the average level of carotenoid (lycopene, β-carotene), total soluble solids (TSS) and fruit weight by applying PCA (Principal component analysis). The lowest level of lycopene was found in the genotype GK 115 (1.109 mg/100 g), and the highest level of lycopene in genotypes with extremely red fruits GK 128 (4.642 mg/100 g). In the studied genotypes the level of β-carotene varied from 0.015 mg/100g in GK115 to 0.454 mg/100 g in GK 133. The level of TSS was from 4.52 GK104 to 8 GK121. Fruit weight of the researched genotypes was divergent-from 11.8 g in GK133 to 306.4 g in GK121. The first two components explain 70.451% of total variability. The first main component was influenced by two (fruit weight and total soluble solids-TTS) out of four researched traits. The second main component (PC2) was influenced by the lycopene level, the third by β-carotene, while the fourth was influenced by TSS. Correlation matrix proved low correlation among the researched traits included in this study