Abstract
Tomato processing leads to the production of considerable amounts of residues, mainly in the form of tomato skins, seeds and vascular tissues, which still contain bioactive molecules of interest for food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. These include carotenoids, such as lycopene and β-carotene, tocopherols and sitosterols, among others. Supercritical fluid extraction is well positioned for the valorization of tomato residues prior to disposal, because it remains an environmentally safe extraction process, especially when using carbon dioxide as the solvent. In this article, we provide an extensive literature overview of the research on the supercritical fluid extraction of tomato residues. We start by identifying the most relevant extractables present in tomatoes (e.g., lycopene) and their main bioactivities. Then, the main aspects affecting the extraction performance are covered, starting with the differences between tomato matrixes (e.g., seeds, skins and pulp) and possible pretreatments to enhance extraction (e.g., milling, drying and enzymatic digestion). Finally, the effects of extraction conditions, such as pressure, temperature, cosolvent, flow rate and time, are discussed.
Highlights
Tomato is a key ingredient in many diets worldwide, and is associated with several health benefits, mainly attributed to the presence of carotenoids such as lycopene; it exhibits antioxidant activity and prevents cardiovascular and other diseases [1]
The combination of previous techniques has been reported for tomato waste valorization, Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) [22], enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) and UAE [23], and EAE and high pressures [19]. Even though these alternative methods reduce the volume of solvents utilized, the extraction time and the energy cost, with improvements on the extraction performance, they still rely on the use of organic solvents such as n-hexane, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethanol, acetone and petroleum ether
This paper provides an overview of the literature on the Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of tomato processing residues, aiming to cover the main molecules of interest, the Processes 2022, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW
Summary
Tomato is a key ingredient in many diets worldwide, and is associated with several health benefits, mainly attributed to the presence of carotenoids such as lycopene; it exhibits antioxidant activity and prevents cardiovascular and other diseases [1]. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) uses microwave radiation to rapidly increase the temperature and pressure inside the vegetable cells, causing their expansion and disruption, and releasing the contents, which improves the extraction performance This method provides faster extractions, reducing the energy cost and the volume of necessary solvent [7,8]. The combination of previous techniques has been reported for tomato waste valorization, UAE and MAE [22], EAE and UAE [23], and EAE and high pressures [19] Even though these alternative methods reduce the volume of solvents utilized, the extraction time and the energy cost, with improvements on the extraction performance, they still rely on the use of organic solvents such as n-hexane, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethanol, acetone and petroleum ether.
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