¹H NMR based-metabolomic approach to evaluate biocompost application on tomato fruit

In the context of growing environmental concerns and the urgent need to reduce chemical inputs in agriculture, the adoption of sustainable fertilization practices has become essential. Transitioning to farming systems that minimize or eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers can enhance soil health, meet consumer demands for safer and higher-quality products and reduce environmental pollution. This study focused on the application of probiotic-enriched compost on tomato crops, aiming to assess its impact on the fruit's metabolomic profile, using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate statistical analysis (PCA and OPLS-DA). Compost-supplied samples were compared with those from integrated farming systems, using Demeter-organic (biodynamic) tomatoes as a benchmark. Tomatoes grown with compost showed a distinct metabolic signature, characterized by a higher sugar-to-acid ratio, while showing lower concentrations of certain amino acids. In the lipid fraction, compost-supplied tomatoes exhibited decreased in saturated fatty acids and carotenoids, including lycopene, compared to fruits from the other systems. These findings indicate that probiotic compost amendments may modulate tomato at the metabolic level. Moreover, although the reported variation in bioactive compounds suggest the need for further investigation into their balance, this work provides useful information for the optimization of organic amendments to improve quality crops within a sustainable agricultural framework.