The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in community development: An overview focused on nutritional properties, agronomic constraints, reThe tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in community development: An overview focuscent achievements and future prospective

Abstract

Tomato is an important horticultural product cultivated worldwide and a major crop subject of studies. The present study therefore aims to review the state of the art of research on tomato. To do this, search was carried out in scientific databases (Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed and Agora), A suitable scientific research works were selected and analyzed. From the results, it appears that tomato is a fruit vegetable, belongs to Solanaceae family and cultivated in many countries of the world and in various climates. Its production can be done in field, but also under controlled conditions by using of artificial lighting, heaters, as well as fertigation to produce high quality tomatoes. Nutritionally, regular intake of tomato fruit increase levels of carotenoids, lycopene, vitamin C, and polyphenols compounds in the daily diet. Regarding the preservation of tomato, research papers mentioned that tomato, like any plant, is subject to agronomic constraints, such as abiotic (light, water supply, salinity, floor structure) and biotic constraints (bacterial, fungal and viruses’ attacks). Mechanical damage also influenced external quality traits of tomato. Finally, this review paper presents a brief overview of some recent studies concerning the control of tomato diseases, the valorization of tomato fruits, as well as the using of tomato waste as a bioresource for lycopene extraction. However, it would be interesting that future investigations revolve around the search for more alternatives methods to control bacterial, fungal or virus attacks, such as the use of natural compounds, in particular those from plant origin.