Content and Distribution of Macroelements, Microelements, and Rare-Earth Elements in Different Tomato Varieties as a Promising Tool for Monitoring the Distinction between the Integral and Organic Systems of Production in Zeleni hit—Official Enza and Vitalis Trial and Breeding Station

Vojin Cvijanović,Dragan Manojlović,Aleksandra Dramićanin,Beka Sarić,Dušanka Milojković-Opsenica,Nevena Momirović,Nebojša Momirović,Igor Kodranov

doi:10.3390/agriculture11101009

Vojin Cvijanović, Dragan Manojlović + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11101009

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Abstract

The identification of agricultural food production systems has gained importance in order to protect both human health and the environment. The importance of organic production system of agriculture which involves the application of natural processes and substances, and limits or completely eliminates the use of synthesized means is emphasized. Knowledge of the mineral composition in tomato samples can be used as a potent tool in the identification of chemical markers as potential indicators of the farming system. A set of tomato samples taken from two factorial randomized trials were comprehended eight different varieties, belonging to four tomato types: large—BEEF and CLUSTER, and mini and midi—CHERRY and PLUM tomatoes, cultivated under two different farming systems: integral (IPM) and organic (O) were characterized based on the composition of the minerals. A total of 44 elements were quantified. To establish criteria for the classification of the samples and confirm a unique set of parameters of variation among the types of production, sophisticated chemometric techniques were used. The results indicate that the accumulation of elements varies between 8 tomato varieties and 2 different growing systems. The contents of Al, Mn, As, Pb, and some of the rare-earth elements (REEs) are able to distinguish between production types. Examination of different hybrids, which belong to different types in two production systems: organic and integral within Zeleni hit (official Enza and Vitalis trial and breeding station), was done with the aim of reaching a methodology of diversification, ie complete traceability of organic production, and to contribute to distinguishing types of agricultural systems and enhancing the possibility of acquiring a valuable authenticity factor about the type of agricultural production system employed for the cultivation of tomatoes.

Highlights

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world [1]
In the 16 different types of tomato samples (Table 1), 44 elements were quantified, including 7 macro elements (Na, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, P and S) which were analyzed on inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), 16 micro elements and potentially toxic elements (Li, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Cd, W, Bi, As, Hg, Pb) and 21 rare-earth elements (REEs) (Sc, Ga, Se, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Tl, Th, U) which were analyzed on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Table S1)
The contents of macroelements, microelements and potentially toxic elements, and rare-earth elements in the samples of 8 different tomato varieties in two different systems of tomato production expressed as mg kg−1 dw, are presented in Figure 1 for integral and in Figure 2 for organic production

Summary

Introduction

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world [1]. It is cultivated for consumption as fresh products and for processing into finished products including tomato pureed, ketchup and flour [2]. Tomato contains many nutrients and secondary metabolites that are important for human health, including minerals, vitamins, lycopene, flavonoids, organic acids, phenolics, and chlorophyll [3]. Due to the importance of minerals for human metabolism, their analysis is an important part of public health studies. The presence of nutritive and toxic minerals in tomato samples depends on the growing conditions and the utilization of pesticides and fertilizers. Because of its high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and relatively low possibility of interferences as well as its multi-elemental characteristics, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) have been chosen as one of the most commonly used analytical techniques for the analysis of the complex food matrices [6]

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