CHANGES IN THE ALKALOID CONTENT OF DEVELOPING FRUITS OF TOMATO (LYCOPERSICON-ESCULENTUM MILL) .1. ANALYSES OF CULTIVARS AND MUTANTS WITH DIFFERENT RIPENING CHARACTERISTICS

Normal ripening red-, orange- and yellow-fruited cultivars of tomato showed similar patterns of fruit growth and tomatine accumulation to those of non-ripening mutants. In all fruits, the tomatine concentration declined continuously from an early stage although the absolute amount per fruit showed a biphasic pattern of accumulation and decline. The turning point occurred at an earlier developmental stage in normal fruits than in mutants. Normal fruits also had a lower initial and higher final tomatine content than mutants on a per fruit basis although, on a unit weight basis, their initial concentration was higher and final concentration lower. Small, prematurely-ripened red fruits had alkaloid levels intermediate between large, unripe, green fruits and large, ripe, red fruits. Growth and ripening processes may both contribute to the decline in fruit tomatine.