Estudo comparativo do teor de (15E)-licopeno por CLAE-DAD entre lavouras de tomate submetidas aos manejos TOMATEC e tradicional

Abstract

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is considered a functional food by antioxidizing effect. The fruit contain carotenoids, L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and phenolic substances. Studies indicates that consumption of tomato can retards the aging effects and grow up the immune system in humans, although it is not possible to assert a direct relationship between the prevention or cure of any cancer with consumption of lycopene based products. In 1990´s the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) developed the project named TOMATEC, the ecologically cultivated tomatoes. The production is based on a different management, which aims at the optimization of land use, lower consumption of pesticides, herbicides and incentives to family farmers' production. The study aims to observe the influence of different managements: traditional TOMATEC in the production of (15E)-lycopene in tomato fruits in different Brazilian cultivars. Thus, the high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (HPLC -DAD) in polymeric 30 carbon bonded stationary phase (C30). This stationary phase is able to separe high efficiency carotenoids, including lycopene geometrical isomers. Samples were collected, processed, extracted and analyzed under the same conditions to evaluate the (15E)-lycopene content in fruits. Tests performed were able to show that the proposed methodology produced reliable quality results, according to the validation guide proposed by the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (INMETRO). Statistical tools were used to compare the (15E)-lycopene contents in different Brazil States, under different managements. The results indicates the highest content of this substance in conventional cultivars and show that bagging fruit is a decisive factor for the (15E)-lycopene biosynthesis