Some parameters of tomato fruits ripening such as color, pH, ºBrix, acidity and lycopene and β-carotene content were evaluated during the ripening of fruits. Five pesticides were quantified in organic extracts derived from tomatoes at different stages of maturation. The solid-liquid extraction technique with partition at low temperature (SLE-PLT) was used to obtain these organic extracts. The matrix effect of tomato was calculated from the results of analysis by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Correlations between maturation parameters and matrix effect were performed. The correlation between the content of carotenoids and matrix effect was high for all pesticides studied. The results indicate that the effect produced by the tomato matrix is correlated with the presence of lycopene and β-carotene in organic extracts. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that lycopene, carotene and the mixture of both have significant effects on the chromatographic response of pesticides, separating them into distinct groups.
matrix effect; tomato; GC-ECD; PCA
