How Nano-ZnO Affect Tomato Fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L.)? Analysis of Selected Fruit Parameters

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), as one of the most valuable horticulture crops, was chosen to investigate the effect of nanoparticles (NPs) in the form of nano-ZnO combined with conventional fertilizer on the quality of tomato fruits, including their antioxidant potential (total antioxidant activity, lycopene and β-carotene content), sugars content and allergenic potential (profilin and Bet v 1 content). Nano-ZnO was implemented during plant cultivation, applied by foliar spraying or directly via soil, at three different concentrations (50, 150 and 250 mg/L). The obtained results suggest that the usage of NPs during tomato plant cultivation had minor impacts on parameters such as total antioxidant activity or the content of selected allergens. Even though the total antioxidant activity was not affected by nano-ZnO, the malondialdehyde activity (MDA) content was notably decreased in fruits under nano-ZnO treatment. The content of lycopene and β-carotene was significantly affected by the use of nano-ZnO. Moreover, the usage of nano-ZnO significantly increased the total sugar content in fruits treated with nanoparticles via foliar spraying. Based on the obtained results, it can be stated that nano-ZnO, regardless of the method of application, significantly affected tomato fruits which can be beneficial for fruit production.

Keywords: allergens; antioxidants; crop plants; nano-ZnO; nanoparticles; tomatoes.

Figure 1

Lycopene [mg/100 g F.W.] (A) and β-carotene [mg/100 g F.W.] (B) content in tomato fruits of Maskotka cultivar. Vertical bars are used to display all data, which are the means of three replicates (±SD). Different letters (a, b, c, ab, bc, etc.) indicate the significant differences for a p-value ≤ 0.05.

Figure 2

Total free radical scavenging capacity [%] in fruits harvested from Maskotka tomato plants. For statistical analysis, the parametric ANOVA test was conducted. The analyses indicated that there are no statistically significant differences between obtained results.

Figure 3

MDA content in fruits harvested from Maskotka tomato plants [µmol per g D.W.]. For statistical analysis, the parametric ANOVA test was conducted. Vertical bars are used to display all data, which are the means of three replicates (±SD). Different letters (a, b, c, ab, bc, etc.) indicate the significant differences for a p-value ≤ 0.05.

Figure 4

The analysis of profilins (A) and Bet v 1 (B) content in tomato fruits of Maskotka cultivar. Vertical bars are used to display all data, which are the means of three replicates (±SD). Different (a, b, c, ab, etc.) letters indicate the significant differences for a p-value ≤ 0.05.

Figure 5

Total sugars content [g/100 g of product] in tomato fruits of Maskotka cultivar. Vertical bars are used to display all data, which are the means of three replicates (±SD). Different letters (a, b, c, ab, bc, etc.) indicate the significant differences for a p-value ≤ 0.05.