Metabolomic Profiling of Commercial Tomato Puree by One-Shot Mass Spectrometry-Based Analysis: A Qualitative Perspective

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops worldwide, with about one quarter of the yearly production of fresh fruits dispatched to the processing industry. Paste, canned tomatoes, and sauces represent the three leading categories. <b>Background/Objectives</b>: The metabolic profile of processed tomatoes can be modified by several production steps, affecting the nutritional and sensory profile of the finished product. Despite this, a detailed metabolomic profiling of transformed tomatoes is currently missing. The goal of this investigation is to provide qualitative metabolomic profiling of tomato purees with two main advances: first, the use of a more sustainable analytical approach based on a single extraction protocol and one-shot analysis for multiple information retrieval on different compound classes; second, the achievement of a curated database consolidated over a wide collection of commercial samples representative of the Italian market. <b>Methods</b>: A non-selective ethanol extraction was applied to collect the main polar metabolites followed by untargeted high-resolution MS/MS analysis and software-based compound identification. <b>Results</b>: A list of more than five hundred features was collected and assigned to specific compounds or compound groups with different confidence levels. The results confirmed the persistence in processed tomatoes of the main primary and secondary metabolites already reported in fresh fruits, such as essential amino acids, sugar, organic acids, vitamins, fatty acyls, and phytohormones. Moreover, new insight on specific components never traced before in similar finished samples is provided. Bioactive compounds were detected in all samples, such as oligopeptides with ACE-inhibitor activity, ɣ-aminobutyric acid, alkaloids, and polyphenols (flavonoids, coumarins, and cinnamic acids). Many of these compounds have antioxidant activities, proving the relevance of transformed tomatoes as a source of health-promoting compounds for the human diet. <b>Conclusions</b>: A detailed metabolic profile of commercial tomato puree samples was obtained, and a curated database of metabolites was compiled, which can be useful for multiple purposes, for example, authentication, quality, or nutritional assessments.