Extraction and Valorization of Lycopene from Tomato By-Products
Summary
Tomato processing generates vast quantities of peels and seeds rich in lycopene, a red carotenoid with potent antioxidant activity and established health benefits. Traditional recovery relies on large volumes of organic solvents, raising concerns over toxicity, environmental impact and consumer demand for clean-label ingredients. Recent advances have focused on greener solvents, assisted-extraction techniques and integrated biorefinery strategies that align with circular-economy principles. Progress includes the use of deep eutectic solvents to improve lycopene solubility, biodegradable surfactants to replace petrochemical organics, and non-thermal physical methods to disrupt plant matrices. Cascade processing approaches now enable sequential recovery of oils, proteins and pectins alongside carotenoids, maximising resource efficiency. The resulting lycopene-rich extracts find applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, natural colourants and cosmetic formulations, supporting both waste reduction and value creation in the tomato supply chain.
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Extraction and Valorization of Lycopene from Tomato By-Products publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in extraction and valorization of lycopene from tomato by-products across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Lycopene: A lipophilic carotenoid pigment abundant in tomato peels, valued for its strong antioxidant activity.
Deep eutectic solvent (DES): A mixture of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors that forms a low-melting, non-volatile solvent system enhancing solute solubility.
Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES): A DES variant formulated with non-polar components to preferentially extract lipophilic compounds like lycopene.
Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SFE-CO2): A technique using CO2 above its critical temperature and pressure to dissolve and recover non-polar bioactives without organic residue.
Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE): A process that employs high-frequency sound waves to promote solvent penetration and cell disruption, enhancing mass transfer.
Pulsed electric fields (PEF): A non-thermal method applying short, high-voltage pulses to increase cell membrane permeability, facilitating compound release.
Biorefinery cascade processing: A sequential extraction scheme that isolates multiple valuable fractions—oils, proteins, polysaccharides and pigments—from the same biomass feedstock.
References
- Enhanced Extraction of Carotenoids from Tomato Industry Waste Using Menthol/Fatty Acid Deep Eutectic Solvent. Waste (2023).
- Green Extraction of Carotenoids from Tomato By-products Using Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate. Food and Bioprocess Technology (2023).
- Biorefinery cascade processing for creating added value on tomato industrial by-products from Tunisia. Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts (2016).
- A Comprehensive Overview of Tomato Processing By-Product Valorization by Conventional Methods versus Emerging Technologies. Foods (2022).
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