Classification, Origin & history, Nutritive value, Taxonomy and Botany

🍅 Tomato — Complete Practical Guide

Common names: Tomato, Table tomato

Scientific name: Solanum lycopersicum L.

Use: Fresh vegetable, salad, culinary use, processing (sauce, paste, puree, ketchup), dehydration, pickles, juice

1. Vegetable classification

• Category: Fruit vegetable (botanically a berry, grown as a vegetable)
• Type: Annual/warm-season vegetable crop used for fresh market and processing
• Quality class: High-value crop; quality depends on cultivar, harvesting stage, and post-harvest handling

2. Origin and history

• Origin: Native to Western South America (Peru–Ecuador region)
• Domestication: First domesticated in Mexico by early civilizations
• Introduction: Introduced to Europe in the 16th century; then spread globally
• Adoption: Now cultivated worldwide as a major horticultural crop, essential for both fresh use and processing
• Improvement: Modern hybrids developed for yield, disease resistance (TLCV, wilt), transportability, and processing quality

3. Nutritive value and medicinal use

Typical composition (fresh fruit):

• Moisture: 93–95%
• Dry matter (DM): 5–7%
• Vitamin C: 20–30 mg/100 g
• Vitamin A (β-carotene): good source
• Lycopene: 3–8 mg/100 g (powerful antioxidant)
• Fiber: 1–1.5 g
• Minerals: K, Ca, Mg, P
• Energy: 18–22 kcal/100 g

Feeding/Use:

• Consumed fresh in salads, cooked in curries, soups, sauces, juices, chutneys
• Used for processing (paste, puree, ketchup)

Medicinal/traditional uses:

• Lycopene reduces oxidative stress
• Supports heart health
• Anti-cancer properties (especially prostate health)
• Boosts immunity due to Vitamin C
• Assists digestion and improves skin health

4. Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Solanaceae
• Genus: Solanum
• Species: Solanum lycopersicum L.

5. Botany (morphology & growth habit)

• Growth form: Annual/biennial herbaceous plant; determinate (bushy) or indeterminate (vining)
• Roots: Deep taproot with extensive lateral branching
• Stem: Weak, succulent, hairy; prone to lodging
• Leaves: Compound, alternate, lobed, hairy
• Flowers: Yellow, perfect, mostly self-pollinated (vibration promotes pollination)
• Fruit: Fleshy berry; round, oval, pear-shaped, oblong depending on variety
• Seeds: Small, kidney-shaped, hairy seed coat