Profiling of antioxidants and metabolite pigments in diverse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes

Worldwide, malnutrition is an epidemic typically impacting children under the age of five and the elderly as well.As one of the most consumed vegetable crops globally, tomato is a vital food source for preventing malnutrition.Therefore, finding genotypes that possess powerful antioxidant capabilities and increased dietary content is critical in the fight against malnutrition.The current study explored metabolite pigments, antioxidants, and nutrient composition in thirty different tomato genotypes, revealing considerable variation across the genotypes.Among the pigments, the maximum amount of chlorophyll A (23.21 mg/g), total chlorophyll (27.96 mg/g) recorded in AVTO1314, maximum chlorophyll B (4.95 mg/g), and total carotenoids (5.03 mg/g) recorded in Punjab Ratta, maximum lycopene (5.44 mg/100g) found in Kashi Chayan and LA4026, and maximum -carotene (0.62 mg/100 g) was found in Pusa Gaurav.The highest amount of ascorbic acid 24.83 mg/100 g was recorded in LA4025 and Kashi Amul, TSS (4.97 0 Brix), and proteins (2.37 g/100 g) in Kashi Chayan, phenols (62.77 mg GAE/100 g) in Kashi Aman, titratable acidity (0.78%) in Pusa Gaurav, and sugars (5.29 g/100 g) in VRT78-2.The multi-trait genotype ideotype distance index identified Kashi Chayan, Kashi Amul, Kashi Adarsh, and Arka Vikas as superior genotypes for antioxidants, nutritional and metabolite pigments, and it also revealed strengths and weaknesses of genotypes for each trait.The tomato genotypes identified in the study can be used in breeding programmes to increase the nutritional content of tomatoes.