Methods to distinguish crops grown on synthetic fertilisation regimes and organic fertilisation regimes have used nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes or metabolomics to authenticate growing practices. This research look at the metabolites from tomatoes grown on synthetic and organic fertiliser regimes with synthetic and natural crop protection substances. Using LC-HRMS, the metabolite profile revealed the presence of a compound later identified as gerberin. The levels of gerberin correlated negatively with the presence of synthetic fertilisers, and therefore could be used a biomarker for distinguishing agricultural practices and verifying organic production.
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