title: Irrigation with diluted seawater improves the nutritional value of cherry tomatoes.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess whether the nutritional value of cherry tomato can be improved by irrigating plants with diluted seawater (12%; EC = 10 mS/cm in comparison with a control at EC = 4 mS/cm). Berries of cherry tomato cv. Naomi were analyzed at the red-ripe stage for the contents of NADPH and NADP+ as well as for the amounts of the main antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid, lipoic acid, tocopherols, and phenolic acids. As compared to the controls, the fruits of salt-treated plants showed a higher titratable acidity and a higher concentration of reducing sugars. The fruits picked from tomato plants irrigated with diluted seawater produced berries characterized by a higher nutritional value. Following salinity, berries showed higher amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, dihydrolipoic acid, and chlorogenic acid. It was hypothesized that protocatechuic, vanillic, caffeic, and ferulic acids were utilized to counteract the damaging effects of salinity-induced oxidative stress, allowing tomato fruits to maintain a high reduced status even following salinization.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Biotecnologie Agrarie, Università di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sgherri
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kadlecová
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pardossi
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Navari-Izzo
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Izzo
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development*; D009249:NADP / Q000032:analysis; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012623:Seawater; D024505:Tocopherols / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D009249:NADP; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D024505:Tocopherols