The Ministry of Agriculture, through Murcia's
Institute of Research and Development for Agriculture and Food (IMIDA), is
developing a project to obtain high quality tomatoes, with a higher content of
bioactive compounds and antioxidants, such as lycopene, vitamins C and E, as
well as phenolic compounds. The project counts with funding from the National
Institute of Agricultural Research.
IMIDA director, Adrián Martínez, highlighted
that "the market is increasingly demanding these standards of quality, and
if we want local products to remain competitive, we must point research in that
direction, to offer value added, because other countries are offering cheaper
products, although inferior in quality."
To accomplish this objective, IMIDA is carrying out tests in growth chambers and greenhouses. Pilar Flores, Pilar Hellín and José Fenoll, researchers of IMIDA's Quality Food team, have spent two years studying the effects of an increase in light exposure and temperature on the quality of the fruit and how to optimise the management of mineral nutrition, especially of nitrogen.
According to the researchers, tomatoes, besides being essential for the socio-economic development of the Region of Murcia, are one of the crops with a higher content of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, such as lycopene, a carotenoid which gives them their red colour and is associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
Additionally, environmental factors, such as light intensity and temperature, have a great influence on the quality of the fruit. The relevance of the study has grown lately, due to variations in environmental conditions caused by climate change and its impact on agriculture.
To accomplish this objective, IMIDA is carrying out tests in growth chambers and greenhouses. Pilar Flores, Pilar Hellín and José Fenoll, researchers of IMIDA's Quality Food team, have spent two years studying the effects of an increase in light exposure and temperature on the quality of the fruit and how to optimise the management of mineral nutrition, especially of nitrogen.
According to the researchers, tomatoes, besides being essential for the socio-economic development of the Region of Murcia, are one of the crops with a higher content of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, such as lycopene, a carotenoid which gives them their red colour and is associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
Additionally, environmental factors, such as light intensity and temperature, have a great influence on the quality of the fruit. The relevance of the study has grown lately, due to variations in environmental conditions caused by climate change and its impact on agriculture.
In this sense, the researchers point out that
an increase in temperature and light intensity affects the synthesis of
lycopene and other bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols and vitamins C and
E. Other compounds like sugars and organic acids are also affected, which has
an impact on the organoleptic characteristics of the fruit. Optimising plant
nutrition management, adapted to environmental conditions, will make it
possible to obtain better quality tomatoes with a high content of bioactive
compounds.
Original Article Here
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