Abstract
The tomato plant, with the inclusion of about 3000 species, belongs to the Solanaceae family (Bai and Lindhout, 2007). The genus Solanum includes thirteen wild species of which tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the only domesticated species that is still largely cultivated (Bai and Lindhout, 2007). From an economic and nutritional standpoint, tomato is one of the most important horticultural crops. In the top four of the most cultivated fruits and vegetables worldwide, tomato is geographically one of the most widely grown and consumed products. Having a relatively short life cycle (approximately 65-85 days from sowing) as well as a relatively high yield e.g. about 40 kg of fruit per plant, tomato is coveted as a cash crop for both small and large-scale cultivators (Li et al., 2018a). The latest statistics show that global import and export of tomato exceeds 150 million metric tons annually, and has increased to an estimated value of approximately 9 billion dollars (FAOSTAT, 2017). The consumption of tomato is either as a fresh or a processed product in the form of canned tomato, juice, puree, paste, ketchup and sauce (Grandillo et al., 1999; Li et al., 2018a). Many of the processed products mentioned are considered as staple products, especially in European and American households. The tomato market has developed rapidly in recent years showing an increase in consumer demand for new products (De Vos et al., 2011)...
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)