Abstract
SUMMARYResearch backgroundTomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit is highly consumed worldwide and contains high amounts of carotenoids and tocopherols, two powerful antioxidants. Native tomato genotypes are rarely used in large-scale market but serve as a reservoir to diversify the species gene pool and can be employed to obtain functional compounds. Extraction methods are currently changing towards cleaner procedures that are more efficient and environmentally friendly, including avoiding toxic or polluting solvents.Experimental approachIn this study, factorial and fractional factorial designs were used to evaluate the efficiency of digestive enzymes, sonication and green solvents to obtain lipophilic antioxidant extracts from native tomato. To monitor the efficiency of the extraction process, spectrophotometric quantification of total carotenoids and antioxidant activity was carried out, and then individual quantification of carotenoids and tocopherols in the extracts was done by HPLC.Results and conclusionsDigestive enzymes and sonication increased the carotenoid content and the antioxidant activity of the obtained extracts when applied individually. However, when these treatments were applied together and in combination with isopropyl acetate, a green solvent, the obtained extracts had the highest carotenoid and tocopherol contents as well as the maximal antioxidant activity. A correlation analysis suggested that antioxidant activity resulted from synergistic effects rather than individual compounds. Tomato extracts were obtained through a rapid and environmentally friendly extraction method and their antioxidant activity was enhanced.Novelty and scientific contributionTomato fruits have been the subject of numerous studies; however, functional compound extraction through environmentally friendly methods remains an attractive use of native tomato fruit, enhancing its limited production and harnessing a large amount of tomato product industry. There are few reports where environmentally friendly extraction methods are combined; even rarer are those where green solvents are also used. In this work, the combination of different environmentally friendly extraction methods improved the extraction of carotenoids and tocopherols and allowed to establish a more efficient process. These results could stimulate the use of clean technologies and make the native tomato more attractive for industrial or compound extraction processes.
Highlights
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a fruit native to South America [1]
We believe that these results will stimulate the use of clean technologies and make the native tomato more attractive to harvest for industrial processing or to extract carotenoids and tocopherols for supplements
We first evaluated whether the enzymatic treatment had significant effects on carotenoid content and antioxidant activity of the tomato extracts compared to a control sample without enzymatic treatment
Summary
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a fruit native to South America [1]. It is the second most important crop in the world [2] and a significant source of antioxidants in the human diet due to its high consumption [3,4]. The main hydrophobic antioxidants in tomatoes are lycopene, β-carotene, and αtocopherol, while vitamin C and polyphenolic compounds (such as quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin, and rutin) are the main hydrophilic functional compounds [5,6]. It has been reported that native tomato genotypes (tomato landraces) have higher contents of functional compounds such as lycopene or polyphenols, as well as greater in vitro antioxidant capacity than commercial varieties [7,8]. Some studies have linked tomato consumption to a lower incidence of these diseases (1113); this association may be mediated by antioxidants [14,15]
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