Diversity in composition of scarlet (S. aethiopicum) and gboma (S. macrocarpon) eggplants and of interspecific hybrids between S. aethiopicum and common eggplant (S. melongena)

• Scarlet and gboma eggplants are African vegetable crops related to common eggplant.
• We studied composition in a diverse set of varieties and in interspecific hybrids.
• A wide diversity was found within and between both African eggplants.
• Hybrids between scarlet and common eggplant were usually similar to scarlet eggplant.
• High variation suggests that selection for improved composition will be efficient.

Scarlet (Solanum aethiopicum) and gboma (S. macrocarpon) eggplants are cultivated vegetable crops native to Africa, for which no comprehensive reports exist on composition and diversity. We have evaluated diversity in composition of three varieties of scarlet eggplant and four varieties of gboma eggplant, as well as of four interspecific hybrids between scarlet and common eggplant (S. melongena) and their respective parents. With the exception of moisture (between 85.8 and 88.3 g/100 g) and pH (between 5.32 and 5.89), there was a wide diversity among varieties within each of the species for the composition traits evaluated, revealing ample possibilities for selection of varieties with improved fruit composition. Scarlet eggplant varieties evaluated presented, on average, lower content than gboma eggplant varieties for carbohydrates (3.60 vs 6.48 g/100 g), starch (3.18 vs 6.15 g/100 g), vitamin C (11.6 vs 18.9 mg/100 g), and total phenolics (24.4 vs 144 mg/100 g) and higher values for soluble sugars content and for the ascorbic/dehydroascorbic acid ratio. Interspecific hybrids between scarlet and gboma eggplants presented moisture content (79.0 g/100 g) and pH (5.15) values below those of any of the parents. For the rest of traits, values were intermediate between both parents, although much more similar to the scarlet eggplant parent.