Diversity for chemical composition in a collection of different varietal types of tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.), an Andean exotic fruit. (15th February 2015) - Acosta-Quezada, Pablo G.
Highlights: Tree tomato is a neglected Andean crop with several cultivar groups. We examined the diversity for 26 composition traits in a collection of 24 tree tomato cultivars. A high diversity for composition traits has been found among accessions and within cultivar groups. PCA analyses reveal that very different composition profiles are found within a cultivar group. Selection for cultivars with enhanced flavour and bioactive activity is feasible. Abstract: We evaluated 23 tree tomato ( Solanum betaceum ) accessions from five cultivar groups and one wild relative ( Solanum cajanumense ) for 26 composition traits. For all traits we found highly significant differences ( P < 0.001) among the materials studied. The high diversity found within S. betaceum for composition traits was matched by a high diversity within each of the cultivar groups. We found that sucrose and citric acid were the most important soluble sugar and organic acid, respectively, in tree tomato. Fruit in the anthocyanin pigmented (purple) group had a carotenoid content similar to that in the yellow–orange cultivar groups. Total phenolic content was significantly correlated ( r = 0.8607) with antioxidant activity. Analyses of mineral content showed that tree tomato is a good source of K, Mg, and Cu. Multivariate principal components analysis (PCA) confirmed that an important diversity exists within each cultivar group. The results we have obtained indicate that the high diversity found within the tree tomato could be exploited for selection and breeding for developing the tree tomato as a commercial crop.