## 1 Introduction  
In Italy, tomato cultivation is characterized by many different traditional varieties that in most cases cover very limited areas. One of the most relevant is the Vesuvian Piennolo cherry tomato (PdP) from the Campania region. Its name is due to the ancient practice of ripening these tomatoes around a circled twine to form a large bunch, called a \"piennolo\", that is stored hanging in dry, ventilated rooms (Figure 1). The variety is registered in the \"Register of the protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications\" Reg. CE n. 1238/2009 [1] as published on the G.U. of January the 04 th, 2010 [2]. The Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio refers to tomatoes of ecotypes belonging to the _Lycopersicon esculentum Miller_ species, locally known as \"Fiaschella\", \"Lampadina\", \"Patanara\", \"Principe Borghese\" and \"Re Umberto\" and traditionally grown in specific areas near Mount Vesuvius. According to the PDO regulation, protected fruits have to meet specific requirements such as colour, consistency, taste and an optical residual that must be a minimum of 6.5 \({}^{\circ}\)Brix. The total soluble solids content measured in Brix degrees is an important control parameter for tomato flavour, which is predominantly due to sugars. The main free sugars of commercial varieties of tomatoes are reducing sugars in particular, fructose has a large impact on sweetness perception [3]. Tomatoes are widely consumed in the Mediterranean region, and many varieties are cultivated for either fresh consumption or industrial processing. The whole fruit of tomatoes is an important source of bioactive compounds, including seeds and skin that contain approximatively 27% extractable lipids (predominantly oleic and linoleic acid) and approximatively 11% protein, respectively [4] The bioactive compounds have been associated with reduced risks of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases [5; 6; 7]. These beneficial effects have been mainly linked to lycopene and other carotenoids that represent the main antioxidant compounds found in fresh tomatoes and their processed products. The main carotenoids present in tomatoes are lycopene and \(\beta\)-carotene. Lycopene is 80-90% of the total carotenoid content and it is responsible for the fruit's red colour [8]. It has been shown to have a strong antioxidant activity and to exhibit the highest physical quenching rate constant for singlet oxygen. On the other hand, \(\beta\)-carotene is 7-10% of the total carotenoid content and it is of special interest due to its provitamin A activity [9]. Tomatoes represent, by far, the main source of dietary lycopene, whereas many other dietary sources contribute to the daily intake of \(\beta\)-carotene. However, the tomato fruit is a reservoir of other potentially healthy molecules, such as ascorbic acid, vitamin E and phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids [10; 11]. Moreover, other bioactive compounds can contribute to the antioxidant effects such as polyphenols. Several studies demonstrated that the positive effect of antioxidant-rich foods on health is seldom exerted by a single compound, or even by a single class of compounds but by the entire pool of antioxidant components interacting synergistically [12; 13; 14]. The antioxidant substance content of tomatoes depends on several factors such as the cultivar and fruit maturity, but also includes agronomic and environmental conditions during cultivation. Among these factors, the genotype is the most relevant for determining the pool of antioxidant compounds [15; 16; 17; 18]. [PERSON] et al. [19] studied the physico-chemical characteristics, content of antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity of the genotypes of creole tomatoes cv. Costoluto Genovese (_S. lycopersicum_ L.) and wild (_S. pimpinelliifolium_ L.) grown in an aquaponic system (inorganically fertilized) and in soil (organically fertilized).