Metabolic Profiling and Functional Metabolite Distribution in Colored Tomatoes

Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) is valued for its versatile consumption and rich nutrients. Current research on functional metabolite distribution in tomatoes mostly focuses on a few varieties, limiting comprehensive understanding across different colored types. This study investigated metabolic characteristics and functional metabolite distribution in colored tomatoes via metabolomic analysis and functional metabolite quantification across diverse germplasm resources. Metabolomic analysis identified 910 metabolites from four colored cherry tomato varieties. Significantly differential metabolite analysis revealed most were flavonoids (27 in total) and alkaloids (14 in total). Additionally, KEGG enrichment analysis identified 4 significantly enriched pathways, mainly related to amino acid biosynthesis, degradation, and metabolism. Quantification across 113 tomato germplasm resources revealed that red tomatoes had higher lycopene; brown tomatoes were rich in lycopene, chlorophyll, and β-carotene; green tomatoes contained higher chlorophyll, saponin, vitamin E, and naringenin. This study provides an important reference for consumers to select colored tomatoes and for breeders to conduct targeted genetic improvement.