Effective utilization of tomato leaves as a new food material

本研究旨在将番茄叶作为一种新的食品原料。番茄果实中含有氨基丁酸(γ-氨基丁酸)，具有降血压的作用。为此，首先研究了番茄叶片中GABA含量随采收时间和加工方法的变化。并观察了番茄叶对大鼠的降压作用。番茄叶片中GABA含量为470 mg/100g鲜叶，经脱氧处理后含量增加。番茄叶提取物具有降低自发性高血压大鼠血压的作用。如果番茄叶中的生物碱番茄碱能够被去除，番茄叶将成为一种新的食物材料，具有降血压的能力。

This study was intended to use tomato leaves as a new food material. Tomato fruit contains γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is effective on the reduction of blood pressure. So, the content of GABA in tomato leaves was examined first, as changingharvesting time, and processing method. The effect of tomato leaves on the reduction of blood pressure of rats was also examined. The content of GABA in tomato leaves was 470mg/100g of fresh leaves, and it increased by de-oxygen process. The extract of tomato leaves reduced the blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats. If tomatine, an alkaloid, can be removed from tomato leaves, the leaves will be a new food material, which has an ability of blood pressure reduction.