Abstract
This study consisted of determining the effect of Bacillus strains inoculated alone or in combination with phytopathogenic fungi on the production of human health-related compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in tomato fruits. Seedlings were cultivated under greenhouse conditions and inoculated with B. amyloliquefaciens, B. methylotrophicus and B. subtilis alone or in combination with Alternaria solani, Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora infestans. Fully ripe fruits were harvested and evaluated for carotenoid, phenol and VOCs contents. Lycopene was the most abundant carotenoid (46.4-167.62 µg/g), followed by β-carotene and lutein. Fruits from plants inoculated with Bacillus had the highest carotenoid content. In contrast, phytopathogens decreased the carotenoid contents, especially the lycopene content. The content of total phenols ranged from 0.42 to 0.90 mg GAE/g. The content of these compounds increased 1.5-fold in fruits from plants inoculated with Bacillus strains, especially those treated with B. methylotrophicus, but the greatest increase (1.9-fold) was observed in plants inoculated with phytopathogens. Both Bacillus strains and pathogens increased the antioxidant capacity, with a 2.8-fold increase compared to the control. Thirty-two VOCs were identified in the tested tomatoes. The Bacillus strains caused an increase in the concentration of VOCs, which could be associated with an increase in fruit quality.
Highlights
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L., Solanales: Solanaceae) is a highly consumed fruit worldwide
Practical Application: This study shows the ability of Bacillus strains to increase human health-related compounds and volatile compounds (VOCs) in tomato fruits, which could expand their use in fruit and vegetable crops
Bacillus strains contributed to the increase in bioactive compounds, mainly carotenoids, and to a lower Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity
Summary
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L., Solanales: Solanaceae) is a highly consumed fruit worldwide. The beneficial effects of fresh tomato, tomato products, tomato carotenoids and phenols on the prevention of several cancer forms, cardiovascular diseases, age-related macular degeneration and other chronic diseases have been demonstrated (Zanfini et al, 2010; CervantesPaz et al, 2012; Pesaresi et al, 2014) These beneficial effects have mainly been attributed to the antioxidant capacity of tomatoes, which contributes to preventing an excess of free radicals in human cells. The flavor of tomatoes is a product of the interaction of sugars, organic acids, and ~400 VOCs, with 20-30 of them being significant contributors to tomato aroma These VOCs are synthetized from carotenoids and from lipids, amino acids, lignin, phenols and terpenes (Vogel et al, 2010; Dávila-Aviña et al, 2011). Literature has demonstrated that the interaction between plants and microorganisms, either pathogenic or antagonistic, can alter the quality of tomatoes; little literature is available in this regard (Ordookhani et al, 2010; Ordookhani & Zare 2011; Parewa et al, 2014), since previous
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