Assessment of variability in various bioactive parameters and its relationship with antioxidant capacity in carotene rich genotypes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Our study tested twenty-five carotene-rich genotypes of tomato (named PCRT-1 to PCRT-25) for variation in biochemical parameters viz. carotene, lycopene, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, vitamin A, and tomatine. The analysis of variance reported a significant difference among tomato genotypes in terms of biochemical parameters. The carotene and lycopene content ranged from 8.8 to 11.94 mg/100g and 0.77 to 2.56 mg/100g, respectively. The ascorbic acid content and titratable acidity differed by 2.73-fold and 2.53-fold, respectively. Vitamin A content varied between 1.05 to 5.64 mg/100g and the tomatine content ranged from 3.99 to 35.57 mg/100g. The highest antioxidant capacity (94.17%) was observed in PCRT-23. Correlation analysis revealed that total antioxidant capacity in tomato has a significant positive association with carotene, lycopene, and ascorbic acid. Some of the genotypes can be used in a breeding program or promoted for cultivation due to their high content of bioactive components.