Location: Responsive Agricultural Food Systems Research Unit
Project Number: 3093-10700-001-016-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jul 30, 2028
Objective:
Tomatoes are one of the most-consumed vegetables in the United States and globally. Tomatoes are rich in bioactive compounds, including a naturally high level of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Although GABA is present in all tomato varieties, its levels vary and many widely consumed cultivars have not been systematically evaluated for their GABA content. In addition, analyzing other amino acids will identify varieties with favorable amino acid profiles and examining other flavor-associated phytochemicals will provide important insights into tomato quality. This project will identify varieties that have favorable nutritional profiles (e.g., high GABA and essential amino acids) making them more valuable nutritionally and commercially.
Approach:
This collaborative project will screen diverse tomato cultivars for GABA, other amino acids, polyamines, and other flavor-associated phytochemicals. Cooperators, in conjunction with ARS scientists, will use targeted and untargeted metabolite analyses to screen tomato varieties. This comprehensive amino acid data will help breeders select cultivars with multiple desirable traits, including high GABA and overall improved nutritional quality. We have selected a curated set of 20 cultivars for rigorous screening of GABA and other amino acids across tomato cultivars. Comprehensive metabolite profiles will be generated using at least 8–10 fruits per cultivar from the same cluster position and three different stages of fruit development (green, breaker and ripening). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the preferred analytical technique for screening GABA due to its high sensitivity and ability to separate GABA from structurally similar amino acids. Such findings can inform breeding programs aimed at developing new tomato cultivars with enhanced GABA accumulation using advanced breeding approaches.