Suppressed Expression of Allergenic Transcripts in Different Tomato Cultivars Are Linked with Increased Antioxidant Capacity

Abstract

Food allergies are an increasing concern in modern society. Tomatoes as an important component of a healthy diet, are being rich in vitamins and antioxidants; however, they also contain allergens that trigger allergic reactions in approximately 2-10% of the European population. This study aimed to analyze and compare the levels of selected allergens and antioxidants in eight different tomato cultivars (four Polish and four Cypriot). Tomato cultivars were selected due to the widespread cultivation and clear differences in fruit traits and biochemical composition. This diversity provided a solid basis for examining variation in allergen expression and antioxidant content, ensuring that the quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assay would be broadly applicable. The RT-qPCR assay successfully detected tomato allergens, while the obtained results demonstrated that Polish cultivars exhibited higher acidity, with lycopene and ß-carotene levels varying among all cultivars (p < 0.05). Polish cultivars contained significantly more ß-carotene than Cypriot cultivars (p < 0.05). Antioxidant activity, measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays, revealed that certain Cypriot cultivars displayed higher antioxidant activity (p < 0.05), whereas Polish cultivars exhibited greater variability in antioxidant parameters. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the relationship between allergen concentration and antioxidant activity revealed distinct patterns in Polish and Cypriot cultivars. In Polish tomatoes, a strong positive correlation between antioxidant measures and allergen content was observed, while in Cypriot cultivars, the correlations between antioxidant parameters were less consistent.