Role of the carotenoids in the development of the fungus Botrytis cinerea in tomato fruit

• Grant number: 17/26314-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2018
• End date: April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Alfredo Kluge
• Grantee: Anie Dalfré Jacon
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among several concerns of the food sciences there is the constant attention to the period in which the aliment remains good for consumption. The ripening and susceptibility to pathogens become the target of study, since they impact on deep changes in the characteristics of the fruits, increasing their perishability and reducing their shelf life. Researches was shown that the concentration of flavonoids pigments is related to the maintenance of quality and reduction of the susceptibility of the tomato to the pathogen Botrytis cinerea. However, there is a shortage of information about the involvement of other classes of pigments. Thus, this project proposes the use of near isogenic lines (NILs) tomato plants with different composition of carotenoids, in order to verify if the majority accumulation of one or another pigment affects the susceptibility to the fungus B. cinerea. For this, the fruits will be harvested at the "red ripe" maturation stage, and inoculated with spore suspension of the pathogen. The production of ethylene will be monitored daily, as well as the incidence and severity of the disease. For better understanding of the results will also be evaluated the antioxidant capacity and activity of peroxidase enzyme. With this study it will be possible to determine whether a type of carotenoids can affect the colonization of the fungus B. cinerea in tomato fruits during the post-harvest period, allowing future economic, social benefits and important results that can later be used in breeding programs. (AU)