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A long‐term comparison of the influence of organic and conventional crop management practices on the content of the glycoalkaloid α ‐tomatine in tomatoes
Author(s) -
Koh Eunmi,
Kaffka Stephen,
Mitchell Alyson E
Publication year - 2013
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.5951
Subject(s) - glycoalkaloid , lycopersicon , solanum , cultivar , cropping , crop , solanaceae , horticulture , biology , human fertilization , chemistry , agronomy , agriculture , food science , biochemistry , ecology , gene
Abstract Background α ‐Tomatine, synthesized by Lycopersicon and some Solanum species, is a steroidal glycoalkaloid which functions to protect against pathogens and insects. Although glycoalkaloids are generally considered toxic, α ‐tomatine appears to be well tolerated in humans. α ‐Tomatine has numerous potential health benefits including the ability to inhibit cancer cell growth in in vitro studies. α ‐Tomatine is influenced by numerous agronomic factors including fertilization and nitrogen availability. Herein, the levels of α ‐tomatine were compared in dried tomato samples ( Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Halley 3155 ) produced in organic and conventional cropping systems that had been archived over the period from 1994 to 2004 from the Long Term Research on Agricultural Systems project ( LTRAS ) at UC Davis . Results The α ‐tomatine levels of tomatoes in both cropping systems ranged from 4.29 to 111.85 µg g −1 dry weight. Mean levels of α ‐tomatine were significantly higher in the organically grown tomatoes than conventional ones ( P < 0.001). In the organic management system, α ‐tomatine content was also significantly ( P < 0.001) different between cropping years, suggesting that other influencing factors such as environmental conditions also affect α ‐tomatine content in tomato . Conclusions The organically produced tomatoes had higher average α ‐tomatine content than their conventional counterpart over the 10‐year study. Significant annual variability in the α ‐tomatine content in tomatoes was also observed and suggests that environmental factors, external to nitrogen fertilization, influence α ‐tomatine content in tomatoes. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry