Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41541700›Full record

ArticleFood science & nutrition2026

Eggplant Rootstock Grafting Enhances Tomato Fruit Sweetness and Nutritional Value via Metabolic Reprogramming.

Meiying Ruan, Xizhi Huang, Rongqing Wang, Yuan Cheng, Guozhi Zhou, Qingjing Ye, Zhuping Yao, Hongjian Wan, Zhimiao Li, Chenxu Liu and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Food science & nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Meiying RuanState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Xizhi HuangLinping District Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hangzhou Municipality Hangzhou China.
Rongqing WangState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Yuan ChengState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Guozhi ZhouState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Qingjing YeState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Zhuping YaoState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Hongjian WanState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Zhimiao LiState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Chenxu LiuState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.
Chi ZhangState Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro‑Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5498-1874

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Small tomatoes are an important economic fruit crop. Strategies to rapidly and stably improve their taste and nutritional quality are of significant economic value. This study evaluated grafting tomato scion ZheYingFen1 (ZYF1) onto eggplant rootstocks (ZheQie117 or ZheQie10). Comprehensive metabolomics and targeted assays demonstrated that grafting substantially increased fructose and glucose levels, thereby enhancing sweetness compared with self-rooted controls. Lycopene content rose significantly, particularly with the ZQ117 rootstock, without elevating key organic acids linked to sourness. Conversely, most free amino acids decreased, including umami-associated glutamate. Energy metabolite profiling showed graft-specific shifts, with pronounced enrichment in sulfur-containing glucosinolate biosynthesis pathways, suggesting modified defense responses and flavor profiles. These results demonstrate that compatible eggplant rootstocks provide a practical horticultural strategy to directly improve tomato sweetness and nutritional value without compromising acidity. This work provides evidence that eggplant rootstocks can effectively improve both the sweetness and nutritional value of tomatoes through metabolic reprogramming, offering a practical and sustainable approach for quality enhancement in commercial tomato production while maintaining a favorable acidity balance.

Indexed as

eggplant rootstockfruit sweetnessgraftingmetabolic reprogrammingtomato

Identifiers

PMID41541700
PMCPMC12800924

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.