MINERAL CONTENT OF TWO GREENHOUSE TOMATO HYBRIDS

Abstract

Tomato fruits are very appreciated for their flavor and nutritional value being used all over the year in the human diet. Tomatoes are rich in carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, pectic substances, cellulose, hemicellulose). The total sugar content increases progressively from mature green to red stage ranging from 2.8 % to 3.5 %. The organic acids (citric, malic, succinic, oxalic) are the most important components of the flavor of tomatoes and they represent 0.3-0.5 %. The most important vitamins in the tomato fruit are: vitamin C (ascorbic acid, around 23 mg/100 g), provitamin A, β – carotene along with lycopene are the two main carotenoids responsible for color in tomato fruit, with levels varying from 40-65μg/g. In addition to being a predominant pigment in red tomato fruits, lycopene is well known as a good antioxidant, having anticancerous proprieties. Preponderant minerals found in tomatoes are K 2500 mg/kg, Ca 30-50 mg/kg, Fe 1.5mg/kg, Na 130-150 mg/kg, Mg 80 mg/kg 1.