There have been growing concerns about exposure to chemical pesticides in fresh fruits and vegetables, which are an important part of a healthy diet. This study investigates consumer preferences for reduced pesticide, organic, local, and Missouri Grown produce using a discrete choice experiment. An online survey of fresh tomato consumers was conducted in Missouri to collect choice data, demographic information, and the individual health and environmental attitudes of shoppers. Respondents were willing to pay a premium of 6% for tomatoes produced with 50% less pesticide than conventional tomatoes. The finding indicates there may be a demand for reduced pesticide produce as a compromise between conventional and organic products in terms of price and safety. Also, we found complementary effects between the reduced pesticide attribute and local or Missouri Grown labels, which means consumers in this segment would pay more for fruits and vegetables that were also locally produced. The results suggest important implications for local producers and policy makers in terms of the production and marketing of reduced pesticide produce, such as the need to develop a reduced pesticide label.

No data exist on the associations of dietary tomato and lycopene consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999–2010, we evaluted the long-term impact of tomato and lycopene intake on total and cause-specific (CHD and cerebrovascular disease) mortality. We also assessed the changes in cardio-metabolic risk factors according to tomato and lycopene intake. Vital status to 31 December 2011 was ascertained. Cox proportional hazard regression models (followed by propensity score matching) were used to investigate the link between tomato and lycopene consumption total, CHD and cerebrovascular mortality. Among the 23 935 participants included (mean age = 47·6 years, 48·8 % men), 3403 deaths occurred during 76·4 months of follow-up. Tomato intake was inversely associated with total (risk ratio (RR) 0·86, 95 % CI 0·81, 0·92), CHD (RR 0·76, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·85) and cerebrovascular (RR 0·70, 95 % CI 0·62, 0·81) mortality. Similar inverse associations were found between lycopene consumption, total (RR 0·76, 95 % CI 0·72, 0·81), CHD (RR 0·73, 95 % CI 0·65, 0·83) and cerebrovascular (RR 0·71, 95 % CI 0·65, 0·78) mortality; these associations were independent of anthropometric, clinical and nutritional parameters. Age and obesity did not affect the association of tomato and lycopene consumption with total, CHD and cerebrovascular mortality. C-reactive protein significantly moderated the link between lycopene and tomato intake with total, CHD and cerebrovascular mortality. ANCOVA showed that participants with a higher tomato and lycopene consumption had a more cardio-protective profile compared with those with a lower intake. Our results highlighted the favourable effect of tomato and lycopene intake on total and cause-specific mortality as well as on cardio-metabolic risk factors. These findings should be taken into consideration for public health strategies.

Tomatoes are a profitable direct-market crop for diversified Midwestern farmers. Unfortunately, many tomatoes with the flavor and quality characteristics consumers desire (such as heirloom varieties) lack agronomic traits important to organic farmers. Hoop-house production offers potentially higher yields and quality than field-grown tomatoes, and has become a popular option for organic farmers. This study compares 19 varieties of tomatoes in both organic hoop house and field conditions, to identify high-performing varieties for future plant breeding, and to characterize the effect of hoop houses on productivity and quality traits. We found that tomatoes grown in a hoop house had significantly higher yield, lower disease severity and higher °Brix (soluble sugars) than those grown in an adjacent field; and that management (hoop house versus field) had significantly more influence over those traits than other variables (variety, market class or year). This lack of varietal differences between management systems will simplify breeding efforts aimed at introducing varieties for hoop house production.

Factors which explain supply response behavior of South Carolina tomato growers were determined. Two well known supply response models were used for comparison: the Nerlovian structural model and the Just risk model. The Just risk model reflected the significance of the risk effect in both stable and unstable periods. An evaluation of forecasting power between the two models was indeterminate. Growers are apparently willing to invest in more information with increased market instability because growers were influenced by the Florida winter price of tomatoes in planting decisions during the period of instability.

Tomato product consumption and estimated lycopene intake are hypothesised to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. To define the impact of typical servings of commercially available tomato products on resultant plasma and prostate lycopene concentrations, men scheduled to undergo prostatectomy (n 33) were randomised either to a lycopene-restricted control group ( < 5 mg lycopene/d) or to a tomato soup (2–2¾ cups prepared/d), tomato sauce (142–198 g/d or 5–7 ounces/d) or vegetable juice (325–488 ml/d or 11–16·5 fluid ounces/d) intervention providing 25–35 mg lycopene/d. Plasma and prostate carotenoid concentrations were measured by HPLC. Tomato soup, sauce and juice consumption significantly increased plasma lycopene concentration from 0·68 (sem 0·1) to 1·13 (sem 0·09) μmol/l (66 %), 0·48 (sem 0·09) to 0·82 (sem 0·12) μmol/l (71 %) and 0·49 (sem 0·12) to 0·78 (sem 0·1) μmol/l (59 %), respectively, while the controls consuming the lycopene-restricted diet showed a decline in plasma lycopene concentration from 0·55 (sem 0·60) to 0·42 (sem 0·07) μmol/l ( − 24 %). The end-of-study prostate lycopene concentration was 0·16 (sem 0·02) nmol/g in the controls, but was 3·5-, 3·6- and 2·2-fold higher in tomato soup (P= 0·001), sauce (P= 0·001) and juice (P= 0·165) consumers, respectively. Prostate lycopene concentration was moderately correlated with post-intervention plasma lycopene concentrations (r 0·60, P =0·001), indicating that additional factors have an impact on tissue concentrations. While the primary geometric lycopene isomer in tomato products was all-trans (80–90 %), plasma and prostate isomers were 47 and 80 % cis, respectively, demonstrating a shift towards cis accumulation. Consumption of typical servings of processed tomato products results in differing plasma and prostate lycopene concentrations. Factors including meal composition and genetics deserve further evaluation to determine their impacts on lycopene absorption and biodistribution.

U.S. growers filed an antidumping case against Canadian growers of greenhouse-grown tomatoes, alleging that U.S. growers were being injured, or threatened with material injury, by imports from Canada. The U.S. Department of Commerce determined that imports of greenhouse-grown tomatoes were being sold in U.S. markets at less than fair market value. The U.S. International Trade Commission determined the “like product” to be all fresh market tomatoes, concluding the domestic industry was not materially injured. Anecdotal evidence used by the Commission Department in determining like product ignores the wealth of knowledge that economics can add. An economic model is proposed for purposes of determining like product.

Alternative hypotheses of market integration in the U.S winter market for fresh tomatoes were evaluated using a dynamic model of spatial price adjustment. The results showed that while Florida and Mexico were integrated in the same market, a price change in one area was not instantaneously reflected in the other. Lagged effects were important with long-run integration being supported for both Florida and Mexico and short-run integration for Mexico. However, the information flow, while relatively efficient, was not symmetric. Florida was found to be dominant in the price formation process with Mexico responding to changes in the Florida price.

A hedonic price function is developed for estimating the implicit prices for selected quality characteristics of fresh tomatoes at three points in the marketing season. The estimation of this function, proposed as a method of evaluating changes in the post-harvest system, is accomplished using a flexible functional form. Those quality characteristics that most affect the price of tomatoes can help determine the economic feasibility of alternative handling techniques or new technologies.

We examined multistate outbreaks attributed to raw tomatoes in the United States from 1990 to 2010. We summarized the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of 15 outbreaks resulting in 1959 illnesses, 384 hospitalizations, and three deaths. Most (80%) outbreaks were reported during 2000–2010; 73% occurred May–September. Outbreaks commonly affected adult (median age 34 years) women (median 58% of outbreak cases). All outbreaks were caused by Salmonella [serotypes Newport (n = 6 outbreaks), Braenderup (n = 2), Baildon, Enteritidis, Javiana, Montevideo, Thompson, Typhimurium (n = 1 each); multiple serotypes (n = 1)]. Red, round (69% of outbreaks), Roma (23%), and grape (8%) tomatoes were implicated. Most (93%) outbreaks were associated with tomatoes served predominantly in restaurants. However, traceback investigations suggested that contamination occurred on farms, at packinghouses, or at fresh-cut processing facilities. Government agencies, academia, trade associations, and the fresh tomato industry should consider further efforts to identify interventions to reduce contamination of tomatoes during production and processing.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) are serious pests of tomato production in Kenya. Accurate identification of the plant parasitic nematodes is important for their effective management. A study conducted to assess their prevalence and identify RKN occurring on tomatoes in Central Kenya showed infestation of the crop in all the three districts. Of the total sampled plants (N = 900), the RKN infestation level ranged from 28 to 62%. RKN disease severity ranged from 2.5 to 5.3 in all the locations. Meloidogyne incognita,M. javanica and M. arenaria were the only species found infesting tomatoes in these areas. Female nematodes sampled from the symptomatic root system that had root galls characteristic of RKN were analysed by isozyme phenotypes of esterase (EST) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH). EST phenotype was polymorphic and enabled identification of the three different species, while MDH was monomorphic. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism with region between mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II and large subunit ribosomal RNA (mtDNA COII-LSUrRNA) using HinfI showed that all isolates of M. incognita could be digested into three restriction fragments of about 1300, 400 and 100 bp, except for one species that showed an additional restriction site, giving four fragments of 900, 420, 380 and 100 bp. The 1800 bp PCR product of M. javanica was not digested by HinfI. Meloidogyne arenaria (EST phenotype A1) PCR product was digested into two restriction fragments of about 1700 and 100 bp, while M. arenaria (EST phenotype A2) had two restriction fragments at 1100 and 100 bp.

High intakes of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of various cancers including colon cancer. A human intervention study with carrot and tomato juice should show whether a diet rich in carotenoids, especially high in β-carotene and lycopene, can modify luminal processes relevant to colon carcinogenesis. In a randomised cross-over trial, twenty-two healthy young men on a low-carotenoid diet consumed 330 ml tomato or carrot juice per d for 2 weeks. Intervention periods were preceded by 2-week depletion phases. At the end of each study period, faeces of twelve volunteers were collected for chemical analyses and use in cell-culture systems. Consumption of carrot juice led to a marked increase of β-carotene and α-carotene in faeces and faecal water, as did lycopene after consumption of tomato juice. In the succeeding depletion phases, carotenoid contents in faeces and faecal water returned to their initial values. Faecal water showed high dose-dependent cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects on colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT29). These effects were not markedly changed by carrot and tomato juice consumption. Neither bile acid concentrations nor activities of the bacterial enzymes β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase in faecal water changed after carrot and tomato juice consumption. Faecal water pH decreased only after carrot juice consumption. SCFA were probably not responsible for this effect, as SCFA concentrations and profiles did not change significantly. In summary, in the present study, 2-week interventions with carotenoid-rich juices led only to minor changes in investigated luminal biomarkers relevant to colon carcinogenesis.

In the present study, we utilised an in vitro digestion procedure to deliver molecules contained in tomatoes to cultured cells and to analyse potential mechanisms underlying the antitumoural effects of tomatoes reported in the literature. Ripe tomatoes underwent in vitro simulated digestion and the aqueous fraction obtained was delivered to HT-29 and HCT-116 colon adenocarcinoma cells. The amount of lycopene released during digestion and transferred to the aqueous fraction during digestion was 10-fold lower than that present in tomato homogenate before digestion. The carotenoid was accumulated by colon adenocarcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner after the addition of tomato digestate (20–100 ml/l) for 24 h. Tomato digestate inhibited the growth of HT-29 and HCT-116 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Growth inhibition resulted from an arrest of cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase and by apoptosis induction. A down regulation of cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression was also observed, without apparent changes in p53, p21, p27 and Bax. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that the in vitro digestion procedure represents a useful approach to supply tomato to colon cultured cells. Moreover, we have shown that tomato digestate is able to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells by modulating the expression of regulators of the cell cycle and apoptosis.

The prevention of arterial thrombotic diseases has a high priority in developed countries. An inappropriate diet may be an important risk factor for thrombotic events. The daily intake of an anti-thrombotic diet may offer a convenient and effective way of prevention. The aim of the present study was to test tomato extracts for anti-thrombotic effects and to identify those varieties that have such an effect. A shear-induced platelet-function test (haemostatometry) was used to test anti-thrombotic potential in vitro. Extracts from those tomato varieties that showed a significant anti-thrombotic activity in vitro were further assessed in vivo, using a laser-induced thrombosis test in mice. One tomato variety (KG99-4) showed significant anti-thrombotic activity both in vitro and in vivo. KG99-4 inhibited not only platelet-rich thrombus formation but also had a thrombolytic effect. It is concluded that haemostatometry can detect and classify the anti-thrombotic potential of fruits and vegetables and offers a simple way of screening for such effects.