Carotenoid and flavonoid levels, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial properties of tomato grown in Serbia

This work provides an insight into the nutritional quality of Hector-F1 tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit grown in Serbia and the juice prepared from it regarding the contents of carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols as compounds beneficial for a healthy diet. Initially, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS) was employed for both polar and non-polar tomato extracts to identify compounds present in the samples. Then, lycopene, β-carotene, total polyphenols and flavonoids contents were determined by means of ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. To evaluate the antioxidant activity of the samples, four methods were applied, namely, the 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, the ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method and the cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method. In addition, the antimicrobial potential was tested against gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans. The thermal treatment in all cases modified the chemical composition of tomato as demonstrated by a decrease in values of all measured parameters. This comprehensive analysis provided data applicable to profiling and comparing cultivars grown in different geographical regions. © 2022 National Agricultural and Food Centre (Slovakia)