Tomato (ribbed)

• The ribbed or beef tomato belongs to the Solanaceae family, genus Solanum, species Solanum lycopersicum.
• From the French region of Marmande, in Lot-et-Garonne, it takes its name from its particular heart and ribbed shape (ATP Marmande, 2020).
• In the 18th century, the tomato from America was first brought to Spain and Italy, then introduced into Provence (ATP Marmande, 2020). Through natural hybridisation, other tomato varieties such as “la merveille des marchés”, “la ponderosa” and “mikado”, are thought to have given rise to the Marmande tomato, after adaptation to the climate and soil (ATP Marmande, 2020).
• Contrary to popular belief, the tomato is a fruit, even if it is eaten as a vegetable. It is available all year round, but the peak season is from July to September (L’Agence de l’alimentation Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 2021).

PHYSICAL AND ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS

• Of large size, the weight of the ribbed tomato can vary between 100 g and 300 g. It has firm flesh that can be cooked very well. (Interfel, 2021). It can therefore be eaten stuffed, in carpaccio or in salad (Tomates et concombres de nos régions, 2021).
• During its development, the pigments responsible for the colour of the fruit are mainly chlorophylls a and b. When ripe, chlorophyll levels decrease sharply while the relative proportion of violaxanthin, lutein, β-carotene, lycopene, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin is up to 9 times higher (Carrari, 2006a).
• The main contributors to ripe tomato flavour are volatile compounds of the alcohols and terpenes family, including: cis-3-hexanal, cis-3-hexanol, hexanal, 3-methylbutanal, sulcatone, 1-pentan-3-one, trans-2-hexanal, methyl salicylate, 2-isobutylthiazole and β-ionone (Carrari, 2006b).
• However, their abundance can vary by several orders of magnitude depending on the age of the tomato variety (Tieman, 2017). In fact, it has been shown that in the more modern varieties the concentrations of β-ionone are lower, in the order of ng/g of fresh fruit (Tieman, 2017). In addition, hexanal concentrations were found to be higher in older varieties, in the range of μg/g fresh fruit (Tieman, 2017).
• But it is important to point out that environmental conditions as well as the degree of ripeness have determining roles in affirming or not the organoleptic qualities of the fruit (Tiwari, 2013).

COMPOSITION CHARACTERISTICS (excluding macronutrients, vitamins and minerals)

• Many researchers have been interested in the beneficial effects of tomatoes in cancer thanks to some of their bioactive compounds. These bioactive constituents include phytochemicals such as carotenoids and polyphenols, including lycopene (Lenucci, 2006).
• A 6-year follow-up cohort study showed that tomato consumption was associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer due to a significant presence of lycopene between 7.8 and 18.1 mg per 100 g (Willett, 1995) A meta-analysis confirmed that higher consumption of carotenoids, including β-carotene, α-carotene, lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer (Ge, 2013).
• Of 72 studies identified, 57 reported inverse associations between tomato consumption or blood lycopene levels and cancer risk, of which 35 of these inverse associations were statistically significant (Giovannucci, 1999). A beneficial effect was particularly observed for cancer of the lung, stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum, breast and cervix (Giovannucci, 1999).