Abstract
The present study was conducted to determine the content of phospholipids (PL) and their fatty acid compositions in tomato fruits cultured in the open and to analyze their changes in the course of developing on the tree and in ripening at 20°C after harvested at breaker stage.
1) Carotenoides content, titrable acidity and Brix degree of tomato fruit maturated on the tree were greater than those of tomato fruit harvested at breaker stage and ripened, but chlorophyll contents did not show any significant difference.
2) Triglycerides, sterols, free fatty acids, PL, and galactolipids were found in tomato fruits. The PL fraction contained phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidyl inositol (PI) as the major constituents.
3) In the development of tomato fruits on the tree, total lipid contents increased, but in detached tomato fruits total lipid and PL contents tended to decrease during the after-ripening. Each of PL, mainly PC PE and PI did not show the same tendency as the changes of the total lipid and PL contents that is, PC and PI decreased but PE increased during the after-ripening.
4) Oleic acid (C18: 1), linoleic acid (C18: 2), linolenic acid (C18: 3) and palmitic acid (C16: 0) were found as the main fatty acid of tomato fruits. It appeared that higher unsaturated fatty acid such as C18: 2, C18: 1 in PE increased during ripening on the tree while in tomato fruit harvested at breaker stage they remarkably decreased during the after-ripening.
