ISSN 1807-1929

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental

Brazilian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering
v.26, n.9, p.662-669, 2022
Campina Grande, PB – http://www.agriambi.com.br – http://www.scielo.br/rbeaa

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n9p662-669

Lactic preservation of cherry tomato cultivated

under irrigation with saline waters1
Conservação láctica de tomate tipo cereja cultivado
sob irrigação com águas salinas
Iara A. Roque2* , Lauriane A. dos A. Soares3 , Geovani S. de Lima2 , Sabrina G. de Oliveira4 ,
Luderlândio de A. Silva2 , Alfredina dos S. Araújo3 , Josivanda P. Gomes2 & Alan K. C. de Almeida3
1
Research developed at Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologia Agroalimentar, Pombal, PB, Brazil
2
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande/Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Agrícola, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
3
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande/Centro de Ciências e Tecnologia Agroalimentar, Pombal, PB, Brazil
4
Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido/Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia, Mossoró, RN, Brazil

HIGHLIGHTS:
Lactic fermentation promotes higher titratable acidity and soluble solids of cherry tomato fruits under salt stress.
Vitamin C from tomato fruits was better preserved under brine of 100 g L-1 of NaCl and 100 g L-1 of CaCl2.
The moisture content of cherry tomato fruits is below the standard in all lactic conservation formulations.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of cherry tomato fruits produced
under irrigation with saline water and subjected to lactic preservation. The design used was completely randomized,
in a 6 × 5 factorial scheme, referring to the preservation by lactic fermentation with six mixtures of salts (100 g L-1
NaCl, 100 g L-1 CaCl2, 100 g L-1 KCl, 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl, and 50 g L-1 NaCl +
50 g L-1 KCl) and five levels of electrical conductivity of water (0.3, 1.3, 2.3, 3.3, and 4.3 dS m-1), with three replicates.
Lactic fermentation brines promoted higher titratable acidity and soluble solids of cherry tomato fruits under saline
water irrigation. Irrigation using water with electrical conductivity of 2.3 dS m-1 promoted higher soluble solids/
titratable acidity ratio in cherry tomato fruits preserved in the formulations with 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl and
50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl. The highest moisture contents were found in fruits preserved with 100 g L-1 CaCl2 and
50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2. Brine formulations for lactic preservation containing 100 g L-1 NaCl and 100 g L-1
CaCl2 promoted higher contents of vitamin C and flavonoids in cherry tomato fruits, regardless of the salinity of
irrigation water.
Key words: Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, salt stress, post-harvest

RESUMO: Objetivou-se com este trabalho, avaliar a composição química dos frutos de tomate cereja produzidos sob
irrigação com águas salinas e submetidos à conservação láctica. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado,
em esquema fatorial 6 × 5, referente à conservação por fermentação láctica com seis misturas de sais para conserva
(100 g L-1 NaCl, 100 g L-1 CaCl 2, 100 g L-1 KCl, 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl 2, 50 g L-1 CaCl 2 + 50 g L-1 KCl e
50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl) e cinco níveis de condutividades elétricas da água (0,3; 1,3; 2,3; 3,3 e 4,3 dS m-1)
e três repetições. As salmouras de fermentação lática proporcionaram maior acidez titulável e sólidos solúveis nos
frutos de tomate cereja sob salinidade da água de irrigação. A irrigação com água de condutividade elétrica de
2,3 dS m-1 promoveu maiores teores de sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável em frutos de tomate cereja preservados nas
formulações com 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl e 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl. Os maiores teores de umidade foram
encontrados nos frutos preservados com 100 g L-1 CaCl2 e 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2. As formulações de salmoura
para conservação láctica contendo 100 g L-1 de NaCl e 100 g L-1 de CaCl2 promoveram maiores teores de vitamina
C e flavonóides em frutos de tomate cereja, independentemente da salinidade da água de irrigação.
Palavras-chave: Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, estresse salino, pós-colheita

• Ref. 260440 – Received 27 Jan, 2021 This is an open-access article

* Corresponding author - E-mail: [email protected] distributed under the Creative
• Accepted 26 Apr, 2022 • Published 13 May, 2022 Commons Attribution 4.0
Editors: Ítalo Herbet Lucena Cavalcante & Hans Raj Gheyi International License.
 Lactic preservation of cherry tomato cultivated under irrigation with saline waters 663

Introduction The experimental design used was completely randomized,

in a 5 × 6 factorial arrangement, referring to the five electrical
Cherry tomato (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium) is an annual conductivities of irrigation water - ECw (0.3, 1.3, 2.3, 3.3,
vegetable of the Solanaceae family and has shown significant and 4.3 dS m-1) and six mixtures of salts for preservation by
expansion, mainly due to its organoleptic properties and lactic fermentation (F1 -100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2,
the great acceptance by the population (Araújo et al., 2017). F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, F4 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, F5 - 50
However, its production is limited in the semi-arid region due to g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl and F6 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1
the scarcity of water resources, besides the occurrence of water KCl), with three replicates, and the readings were performed
sources with high concentration of salts, mainly sodium, limiting in triplicate. The electrical conductivity levels of the water were
the use in agriculture (Dias et al., 2019; Lima et al., 2020a; defined based on the work conducted by Vieira et al. (2016).
Pinheiro et al., 2022). Tomato is considered highly sensitive to The lactic conservation formulations were established based
salinity, with reductions in production in terms of weight and
on the study carried out by Soares et al. (2020).
number of fruits (Diouf et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2022).
The cultivar ‘Tomate Cereja Vermelho’ was sown in a
Another aspect to be emphasized is the post-harvest quality,
polyethylene tray filled with substrate obtained from the
because the cherry tomato fruit has high perishability, caused
mixture of sand, soil and manure, with 162 cells, each with
by the increase in respiratory metabolism, due to the high
50 mL capacity, where the plants were irrigated with low-
moisture content of this vegetable, depreciating the commercial
salinity water (ECw = 0.3 dS m-1) until 17 days after sowing
value of fruits for fresh consumption (Takahashi et al., 2018).
(DAS), and one plant was allowed to grow in each cell. The
In this context, one of the techniques that can be used for post-
cultivar has an indeterminate growth habit, globular fruits,
harvest preservation in vegetables is lactic fermentation, in
and better adaptation to temperatures between 21 and 28 °C.
which bacteria, fungi, and yeasts alter the structure of foods or
At 18 DAS, the plants were transplanted into plastic pots
provide them with better taste characteristics, even extending
adapted as drainage lysimeters with 20 L capacity, which
their preservation time (Soares et al., 2020). Improvements
received a 3 cm layer of crushed stone and a geotextile
in the antioxidant activity of tomato fruits subjected to lactic
fermentation have been reported by Moayedi et al. (2016). covering their bottom, to avoid clogging by soil material,
Despite the beneficial effects of lactic fermentation found in and then 22 kg of a sandy loam Entisol from the rural area
cherry tomatoes, there are no reports in the scientific literature of Pombal-PB, previously pounded to break up clods and
about the interactive effects of salinity and lactic conservation sieved (10 mm). Each pot had a transparent tube, connected
on the post-harvest quality of cherry tomato fruits. In view to its base coupled to collectors of drainage with volumetric
of the above, the objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of 2 L to determine the water consumed by the crop.
chemical composition of cherry tomato fruits produced under The physicochemical attributes (Table 1) were determined
irrigation with saline water and subjected to lactic preservation, according to the methodology of Teixeira et al. (2017).
in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil. At transplanting, irrigation was performed manually
and the soil moisture content was increased to the level
corresponding to field capacity using low-salinity water
Material and Methods (ECw - 0.3 dS m-1) until 17 days after transplanting (DAT).
The study was carried out in two stages. The first one The waters of different electrical conductivity were prepared
consisted in the production of cherry tomato fruits under by dissolving sodium chloride (NaCl) in public-supply water
irrigation with different levels of saline water from September of Pombal-PB, considering the relationship between ECw
2020 to February 2021 at the Center of Sciences and Agri-Food and salt concentration: Q (mg L-1) = 640 × ECw. From 18 DAT,
Technology - CCTA of the Federal University of Campina irrigation began to be performed with water of different
Grande - UFCG, located in the municipality of Pombal, salinity levels, and the volume of water for irrigation was
Paraíba, Brazil (6º 46’ 13” S, 37° 48’ 06” W, 193 m altitude). determined considering the water requirement of the plants,
The second stage was carried out in the laboratory at the determined by the water balance, obtained by Eq. 1:
Technological Vocational Center (CVT) - UFCG, Pombal-PB,
with the chemical analysis of cherry tomato fruits under lactic VA − VD
VC = (1)
preservation with different formulations. 1 − LF

Table 1. Chemical and physical characteristics of the soil used in the experiment

pH - Hydrogen Potential; OM - Organic matter: Walkley-Black Wet Digestion; Ca2+ and Mg2+ - Extracted with 1 M KCl at pH 7.0; Na+ and K+ - Extracted with 1 M NH4OAc at pH
7.0; Al3+ + H+ - Extracted with 0.5 M CaOAc at pH 7.0; ECse - Electrical conductivity of saturation extract; CEC - Cation exchange capacity; ESP - Exchangeable sodium percentage;
1, 2
referring to the limits of field capacity and permanent wilting point

Rev. Bras. Eng. Agríc. Ambiental, v.26, n.9, p.662-669, 2022.

664 Iara A. Roque et al.

where: Center - CVT of the Federal University of Campina Grande

VC - volume of water consumed (L); - UFCG, Campus of Pombal - PB, where they were kept
VA - volume of water applied to plants in last irrigation; under refrigeration (temperature of 10 ºC ± 5 and relative air
VD - volume drained, quantified after last irrigation; and, humidity of 60% ± 5) to perform the physicochemical analyses
LF - leaching fraction estimated at 15%, applied every 15 of the fermented fruits, determining the following variables in
days to minimize the accumulation of salts in the root zone. triplicate: soluble solids content (SS) (ºBrix), by refractometry
in crushed samples using a manual refractometer; titratable
Fertilization started 10 days after transplanting and acidity - TA (%), by the volumetry method with indicator, using
followed the recommendation for the crop (Trani et al., 2015), a 5-g aliquot of the sample, which was mixed with 50 mL of
using urea (45% N) as nitrogen source, applying 38.9 g per distilled water and two drops of alcoholic phenolphthalein at
plant, monoammonium phosphate (50% P2O5) as phosphorus 1.0%, with titration performed up to the turning point with a
source, applying 20.35 g per plant and potassium chloride (60% previously standardized NaOH solution (0.1 N); soluble solids/
K2O) as potassium source, applying 65.94 g per plant, starting titratable acidity ratio (SS/TA), obtained by dividing the values
10 DAT and split into 20 applications performed weekly via of soluble solids by the values of titratable acidity; and moisture
irrigation water. (%), determined by direct drying of 10 g of sample in an oven
Throughout the experiment, the following operations at 105 ºC (IAL, 2008).
Flavonoid and anthocyanin contents (mg 100g-1 of pulp)
were carried out: pruning of shoots growing from the axils of
were measured from the reading in spectrophotometer of a
the leaves (unwanted branches) until 45 DAT, pruning of the
solution containing 10 mL of 95% ethanol and HCl (85:15).
apical bud at 67 DAT, and the control of pests and diseases
The levels of vitamin C (mg 100g-1 of pulp) were determined
by chemical intervention, with insecticide and fungicide
by the Tillman method, based on the reduction of the
recommended for the crop.
2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol sodium salt dye by an acidic
Fruit harvest started at 126 DAT when the fruits reached
solution of vitamin C. Total sugar contents (mg of glucose g-1) were
the red ripe maturity stage and, after harvest, they were taken
determined by the Anthrone method (Hodge & Hodfreiter,
to the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Irrigation - CCTA - 1962).
UFCG. At harvest, cherry tomato fruits that showed no injury The obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance
due to physical damage, insect attack or visual presence of (F test) at 0.05 and 0.01 probability levels and, in cases of
microorganisms were selected and subjected to washing and significance, linear and quadratic polynomial regression
sanitization by 100 mg L-1 of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). analysis was performed for the irrigation water salinity factor
Then, 197 g of fruits and 197 mL of solution of the formulation and Scott-Knott test was applied for the brine formulations,
were weighed and stored in a glass container with lid, where using SISVAR statistical software.
they remained at a temperature of 25 ºC, on a benchtop until
pH stabilization (Goldoni et al., 1981).
The formulations were defined by the mixture of salts,
Results and Discussion
as shown in Table 2. The total sum of the components of the There were significant effects of water salinity levels
mixtures (100%) of salts was equivalent to the proportion of on titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), and soluble
NaCl (10%) in the fermentation brine normally used in the solids/titratable acidity ratio (SS/TA) of cherry tomato fruits
industrial production of fermented green olives. (Table 3). Lactic fermentation brines significantly affected all
The initial values of the electrical conductivity of the brines variables measured. The interaction between factors (SL × F)
observed were: F1 -94.13; F2 - 79.09; F3 - 103.1; F4 - 90.99; significantly influenced soluble solids, titratable, and soluble
F5 - 95 and F6 - 166.2 dS m-1. The initial pH values measured solids/titratable acidity ratio.
in the different brines were: F1 - 5.55; F2 - 5.93; F3 - 5.83; The data of titratable acidity of tomato fruits preserved
F4 - 5.99; F5 - 6.03 and F6 - 6.19. The pH values of the brines in F2 did not adjust satisfactorily to tested model (y = 0.2723
were monitored daily, for three days, in order to provide the + 0.0477nsx R² = 0.35) and for this reason this formulation is
ideal lactic fermentation time for the product, and at the end of
the process the brines showed the following mean pH values: Table 3. Summary of the analysis of variance for titratable
F1 - 3.71; F2 - 3.72; F3 - 4.00; F4 - 3.44; F5 - 3.56 and F6 - 3.86. acidity (TA, %), soluble solids (SS, ºBrix), soluble solids/
titratable acidity ratio (SS/TA), and moisture (MOIST, %) of
After verifying stability in the pH of the cherry tomato
fresh cherry tomato fruits subjected to different salinity levels
brines, the samples were taken to the Technological Vocational
of irrigation water and lactic fermentation brines
Table 2. Mixtures of salts present in the fermentation brine of
cherry tomato fruits

ns, *, **, - Respectively not significant and significant at p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.01; CV -
Coefficient of variation

Rev. Bras. Eng. Agríc. Ambiental, v.26, n.9, p.662-669, 2022.

 Lactic preservation of cherry tomato cultivated under irrigation with saline waters 665

not included in Figure 1A. For the titratable acidity of fresh (F4), 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl (F5), and 50 g L-1 NaCl
cherry tomato fruits, there were increments of 151.94% in + 50 g L-1 KCl (F6), which led to decreases of 73.18, 32.24,
fruits preserved in the formulations 100 g L-1 NaCl (F1) and 7.26, and 12.25% in plants irrigated with ECw of 4.3 dS m-1,
under water salinity of 4.3 dS m-1 (Figure 1A). The higher respectively, when compared to the control treatment
value obtained in formulation 1 indicates a dependence of the (0.3 dS m -1). The marked reduction of titratable acidity
titratable acidity present in cherry tomato fruits on the presence observed in the formulation 100 g L-1 KCl (F3) is probably
of NaCl in the brine formulation, accentuating the oxidation caused by the neutralization of organic acids due to high levels
of organic acids in the cycle of tricarboxylic acids due to fruit of K+ in tissues, resulting in reduced acidity in the fruits (Silva
respiration (Zachow et al., 2014). et al., 2013).
However, there were decreases in the TA of the fruits, in Values higher than the standard (0.4%) were found in
formulations 100 g L-1 KCl (F3), 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2 fruits preserved with 100 g L-1 KCl when irrigated with water
salinity of 0.3, 1.3, and 2.3 dS m-1 with values of 0.65, 0.57, and
0.40%, respectively, and when conserved with 100 g L-1 CaCl2
associated with irrigation with water of electrical conductivity
of 4.3 dS m-1 (0.58%). The other treatments were below the
recommended quality standard (Brasil, 2018).
The soluble solids contents of tomato fruits preserved in F1
(y = 9.44 - 0.1514nsx + 0.0286nsx2 R² = 0.03) and F6 (y = 7.6113 +
0.9606nsx - 0.269nsx2 R² = 0.55) were not described satisfactorily
by the tested regression models and, because of the relatively
low values of coefficient of determination, are not included in
Figure 1B. Regarding the soluble solids content of fresh cherry
tomato fruits (Figure 1B), there were significant differences
between the salinity levels in the brine formulations F3 - 100 g L-1
KCl and F4 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, with quadratic fit
to the data, and the highest values (8.85 and 8.46 °Brix) were
obtained when plants were subjected to irrigation with ECw
levels of 2.6 and 1.8 dS m-1, respectively. On the other hand,
for fruits subjected to the formulations F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2
and F5 - 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl, there was a linear and
negative effect on SS of the order of 3.92 and 9.22% per unit
increase in ECw, respectively, that is, reductions of 1.44 and
3.66 °Brix, respectively, when plants were cultivated under
ECw of 4.3 dS m-1 compared to those under lowest salinity
level (0.3 dS m-1).
The SS values obtained in fruits produced under different
salinity levels and fermentation brines in the present study
are above the standard in all treatments (5 ºBrix) (Brasil,
2018) and were also higher than those reported by Paiva et
al. (2018), who evaluated the quality of tomato fruits grown
under different ECw levels (0.5, 2.0, 3.5, and 5.0 dS m-1) and
found values ranging from 3.12 to 6.32 ºBrix. It is likely that
this reduction in the SS values of cherry tomato fruits due to the
increase in salinity occurred due to the nutritional imbalance
in the soil resulting from the ionic effect, thus leading to the
competition of Na+ with NH4+ and K+, which are constituents
of amino acids and proteins important in the formation of
carbohydrates, organic acids, proteins, fats, and minerals of
the fruit (Lacerda et al., 2021).
Tomato flavor is related to the presence of several chemical
ns, *, **, - Respectively not significant and significant at p ≤ 0.05 and ≤ 0.01 by F test constituents, especially sugars and acids, in addition to their
Brine formulations: F1 - 100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2, F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, F4 - 50 g L-1
NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, F5 - 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl, and F6 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl interactions (Torres, 2012). Once the soluble solids and
Figure 1. Titratable acidity - TA (A), soluble solids - SS (B), titratable acidity contents of the fruits are known, it is possible
and soluble solids /titratable acidity ratio - SS/TA (C) of to establish the SS/TA ratio. Thus, the regression equations
fresh cherry tomato fruits as a function of the interaction (Figure 1C) showed that the SS/TA ratio was influenced by the
between the salinity levels of irrigation water - ECw and lactic salinity of irrigation water and fruit preservation formulations,
fermentation brines increasing in the formulations F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, and F6 up

Rev. Bras. Eng. Agríc. Ambiental, v.26, n.9, p.662-669, 2022.

666 Iara A. Roque et al.

to salinity levels of 2.4, 1.9, 2.7, 2.6, 1.9, and 2.3 dS m-1 with Table 4. Summary of the analysis of variance for soluble sugars (SS,
SS/TA values of 68.76, 32.15, 28.64, 32.67, 50.68, and 35.81, 100g-1 of pulp), vitamin C (Vit C, mg 100g-1 of pulp), flavonoids
and from these levels the effects of salinity intensified, with (FLA, 100g-1 of pulp) and anthocyanins (ANT, 100g-1 of pulp) of
reductions in SS/TA of 47.20, 62.37, 29.40, 14.15, 70.99, and fresh cherry tomato fruits subjected to different salinity levels of
46.70% at water salinity of 4.3 dS m-1, respectively. irrigation water and lactic fermentation brines
High values of SS/TA ratio determine mild flavor due to
the excellent combination of sugar and acid, pointing to a great
product for processing as well as fresh consumption, while
low values are correlated with acidic and unpleasant taste, so
the recommendation is an SS/TA ratio greater than 10, which
is lower than those found in the fruits of this study subjected
ns, *, **, - Respectively not significant and significant at p ≤ 0.05 and ≤ 0.01; CV -
to lactic fermentation brines, regardless of the salinity of Coefficient of variation
irrigation water (Ferreira et al., 2004).
The highest moisture contents of cherry tomato fruits
were obtained in the formulations containing Ca in their
composition (F2 - 100 g L-1 of CaCl2 and F4 - 50 g L-1 NaCl +
50 g L-1 CaCl2), being equal to 90.33 and 90.07%, respectively
(Figure 2). The benefits caused by the various forms of calcium
chloride application in the post-harvest are associated with
decreased ethylene production, ripening delay, reduction of
respiratory rate and maintenance of firmness (Sanches et al.,
2017).
The beneficial effects of Ca+2 on fruit conservation may
be related to the formation of bonds between residues of
galacturonic acid in the middle lamella, responsible for the
union of adjacent pectic chains, and the calcium-pectin
complex acts as a cement, giving firmness to the tissue and
preventing water loss (Yamamoto et al., 2011).
There was a significant effect of the salinity levels of
irrigation water on the contents of soluble sugars (SS), vitamin
C (Vit C), flavonoids (FLA) and anthocyanins (ANT) of fresh
cherry tomato fruits (Table 4). Lactic fermentation brines
significantly affected all variables measured. The interaction
between the factors (SL × F) also significantly affected all the
variables evaluated in fresh cherry tomato fruits.
For the soluble sugar contents of tomato fruits (Figure
3A), the data were described by a quadratic model for the
formulations F1, F2, F3 and F5, and the highest values of SS
ns, **, - Respectively not significant and significant at p ≤ 0.01 by F test
Brine formulations: F1 - 100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 - 100 g L-1 CaCl2, F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, F4 - 50 g L-1
NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, F5 - 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl and F6 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl
Figure 3. Soluble sugars - SS (A) and vitamin C - Vit C (B)
of fresh cherry tomato fruits as a function of the interaction
between the different salinity levels of irrigation water - ECw
and lactic fermentation brines

(45.01; 60.31; 56.10 and 41.50 mg 100g-1 of pulp) were obtained

in plants subjected to ECw of 0.3 dS m-1. The fruits preserved
in F4 and F6 formulations had the highest levels of soluble
solids achieved under ECw of 1.7 and 1.3 dS m-1, respectively.
Despite showing the same trend, the reduction in SS as a
function of the increase in irrigation water salinity was higher
in fruits subjected to F1 - 100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2 and
Brine formulations: F1 - 100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2, F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, F4 - 50 g L-1 F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, with reductions of 71.42, 75.72, and 60.62%,
NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, F5 - 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl and F6 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 respectively, at the highest level of water salinity (4.3 dS m-1)
KCl. Means with different letters indicate that the treatments differ from each other by the
Scott-Knott test (p ≤ 0.05). Vertical bars indicate mean ± standard error (n=3) compared to those subjected to ECw of 0.3 dS m-1. The decrease
Figure 2. Moisture content of cherry tomato fruits as a function in SS contents is associated with the fact that sugars are the
of lactic fermentation brines first substrates consumed during the fermentation process. This

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 Lactic preservation of cherry tomato cultivated under irrigation with saline waters 667

situation may be related to the consumption of D-glucose and

D-fructose by microorganisms in fruits kept in the different
formulations of lactic fermentation (Campara et al., 2021).
In addition, the increase in irrigation water salinity may also
have led to an increase in the Na/K ratio, causing nutritional
imbalance in the plant, and consequently in the processes of
synthesis and translocation of carbohydrates (Melo et al., 2014).
The vitamin C content of fresh cherry tomato fruits (Figure
3B) was higher in plants irrigated using water with electrical
conductivity of 1.3 dS m-1 and for formulations F1 and F2 (19.44
and 17.15 mg 100g-1 of pulp); for F6, the highest value (12.65
mg 100g-1 of pulp) was obtained at ECw of 2.3 dS m-1. On the
other hand, the vitamin C content of fruits subjected to the
formulation F3 decreased linearly, with a reduction of 17.03%
per unit increase in ECw. It is worth pointing out that fruits
subjected to the formulations F1 and F2 resulted in vitamin
C contents higher than the values recommended for table
tomatoes (14.06 mg 100g-1 of pulp). For fruits preserved in F4
( y = 8 . 3 9 9 9 - 0 . 5 6 1 1 nsx + 0 . 1 7 nsx 2 R ² = 0 . 1 5 ) a n d F 5
(y = 7.4278 + 0.8703nsx - 0.1509nsx2 R² = 0.38) formulations,
there was no satisfactory fit to the data, so they were not
included in Figure 3B.
The decrease in vitamin C content may be related to changes
in the translocation of photoassimilates, due to the stress
caused by excess salts in irrigation water (Lima et al., 2020b).
It is important to highlight that vitamin C is quite unstable and ns, *, **, - Respectively not significant and significant at p ≤ 0.05 and ≤ 0.01 by F test
Brine formulations: F1 - 100 g L-1 NaCl, F2 -100 g L-1 CaCl2, F3 - 100 g L-1 KCl, F4 - 50 g L-1
can be enzymatically transformed by oxidative reactions into NaCl + 50 g L-1 CaCl2, F5 - 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl, and F6 - 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl
its reversible form (dehydroascorbic acid) and/or irreversible Figure 4. Flavonoids - FLA (A) and anthocyanins - ANT (B)
form (2,3-diketogulonic acid), which may cause reduction in of fresh cherry tomato fruits as a function of the interaction
vitamin C in the fruit (Ramos et al., 2013). between the salinity levels of irrigation water - ECw and lactic
Similarly, the flavonoid contents of cherry tomato fruits fermentation brines
(Figure 4A) also had the highest values under preservation
with formulations F1 and F2 and associated with ECw of 1.8 F5 (y = 0.618 - 0.005nsx, R² = 0.02), there was no satisfactory fit
(9.45 mg 100g-1 of pulp) and 0.3 dS m-1 (8.00 mg 100g-1 of of the tested regression models. Several factors interfere in the
pulp), with reductions of 48.04 and 49.20% when plants were stability of anthocyanins, and pH stands out as a limiting factor
irrigated with ECw of 4.3 dS m-1, respectively. The data of in their chemical stability, so the stability of anthocyanins is
tomato fruits preserved in the F3 formulation were not higher under acidic conditions (Modesto Junior et al., 2016),
adequately described by the tested regression models (y which is confirmed by the increase in the titratable acidity
= 5.4784 + 0.115nsx, R² = 0.07). On the other hand, in fruits of cherry tomato fruits preserved in formulations F1 and F2
under the formulations F4, F5 and F6, the flavonoid contents (Figure 4B).
were reduced by water salinity by 8.67, 5.55, and 9.28% per
unit increase in ECw, respectively. Reductions in the FLA Conclusions
content of cherry tomato fruits subjected to lactic fermentation
formulations and with increased ECw may be associated with 1. Lactic fermentation brines promote higher titratable
delayed fruit deterioration. During the ripening process of acidity and soluble solids of cherry tomato fruits under
vegetables, chlorophyll is degraded, while there is synthesis irrigation water salinity.
of other pigments such as flavonoids (Takahashi et al., 2018). 2. Irrigation using water with electrical conductivity of
The anthocyanin contents of cherry tomato fruits (Figure 2.3 dS m-1 promotes higher soluble solids/titratable acidity
4B) in the formulations F1 and F2 increased by 24.61 and ratio in cherry tomato fruits preserved in the formulations with
43.97% in plants grown under irrigation with water of 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1 KCl and 50 g L-1 CaCl2 + 50 g L-1 KCl.
4.3 dS m-1 compared to those under ECw of 0.3 dS m-1. On 3. The highest moisture contents were found in fruits
the other hand, cherry tomato fruits under lactic preservation preserved with 100 g L-1 CaCl2 and 50 g L-1 NaCl + 50 g L-1
in formulations F3 and F6 had reductions of 0.0939 and CaCl2.
0.3161 mg 100g-1 of pulp and in plants subjected to ECw of 4. Brine formulations for lactic preservation containing
4.3 dS m-1 compared to those produced under low salinity of 100 g L-1 NaCl and 100 g L-1 CaCl2 promote higher contents of
irrigation water (0.3 dS m-1), respectively. For fruits kept under vitamin C and flavonoids in cherry tomato fruits, regardless
the formulations F4 (y = 0.6677 - 0.0343 **x, R² = 0.24) and of the salinity of irrigation water.

Rev. Bras. Eng. Agríc. Ambiental, v.26, n.9, p.662-669, 2022.

668 Iara A. Roque et al.

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