Metabolomic studies of volatiles from tomatoes grown in net-house and open-field conditions

In the present study, the influence of production systems (net-house and open-field) on volatile profiles of three Texas A&M University (TAMU) and five commercial tomato varieties was investigated. Forty metabolites were determined using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) equipped with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The data was evaluated by multivariate analyses to discriminate the effects of genotype and production system, and to identify potential biomarker(s). The levels of hexanal, p-cymene, and (E)-2-hexenal from TAMU varieties were distinct from those of commercial tomato varieties. Similarly, 16 metabolites were considerably affected by the production systems, and majority of these volatiles were significantly higher in the net-house-grown tomatoes. Multivariate analysis also allowed identifying geranylacetone and d-limonene as potential biomarkers to classify tomatoes according to production systems. These findings underline the importance of the selection of variety and production system to preserve or improve desirable aroma traits in tomatoes.