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Seasonal variations in polyphenols and lipoic acid in fruits of tomato irrigated with sea water
Author(s) -
Incerti Annalisa,
NavariIzzo Flavia,
Pardossi Alberto,
Izzo Riccardo
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.3589
Subject(s) - polyphenol , salinity , solanum , chemistry , lipoic acid , food science , nutrient , seawater , antioxidant , botany , horticulture , biology , biochemistry , ecology , organic chemistry
BACKGROUND: Polyphenols and lipoic acid, due to their functions of antioxidant and free radical scavengers, are universally recognized as beneficial for preventing widespread human diseases, including cancer, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular pathologies. In addition, they contribute to the determination of food taste and colour. These compounds were determined in tomato fruits ( Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. Daniela) picked at red‐ripe stage during spring and autumn from tomato plants grown in rockwool slabs in a greenhouse in nutrient solutions with either groundwater or dilute sea water. RESULTS: Compared with groundwater, total phenolic acids, flavonoids and dihydrolipoic acid in tomato plants irrigated with sea water showed a decrease during spring and an increase during autumn. The interaction between sea water and season played a significant role in polyphenol and lipoic acid production. CONCLUSION: The consumption of polyphenols and lipoic acid is related to oxidative processes, which could be induced by natural physiological processes or more by environmental changes such as salinity or high irradiance. The lower presence of these antioxidants, observed in spring, may be a consequence of the more noxious levels of oxidative stress induced by the high salinity treatment when applied under a higher irradiance, typical conditions of spring in comparison to autumn. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry