Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Dec 29;12(1):166.
doi: 10.3390/foods12010166.

A Comprehensive Overview of Tomato Processing By-Product Valorization by Conventional Methods versus Emerging Technologies

Elham Eslami  1 , Serena Carpentieri  1 , Gianpiero Pataro  1 , Giovanna Ferrari  1   2
Affiliations
Review

A Comprehensive Overview of Tomato Processing By-Product Valorization by Conventional Methods versus Emerging Technologies

Elham Eslami et al. Foods. .

Abstract

The tomato processing industry can be considered one of the most widespread food manufacturing industries all over the world, annually generating considerable quantities of residue and determining disposal issues associated not only with the wasting of invaluable resources but also with the rise of significant environmental burdens. In this regard, previous studies have widely ascertained that tomato by-products are still rich in valuable compounds, which, once recovered, could be utilized in different industrial sectors. Currently, conventional solvent extraction is the most widely used method for the recovery of these compounds from tomato pomace. Nevertheless, several well-known drawbacks derive from this process, including the use of large quantities of solvents and the difficulties of utilizing the residual biomass. To overcome these limitations, the recent advances in extraction techniques, including the modification of the process configuration and the use of complementary novel methods to modify or destroy vegetable cells, have greatly and effectively influenced the recovery of different compounds from plant matrices. This review contributes a comprehensive overview on the valorization of tomato processing by-products with a specific focus on the use of "green technologies", including high-pressure homogenization (HPH), pulsed electric fields (PEF), supercritical fluid (SFE-CO2), ultrasounds (UAE), and microwaves (MAE), suitable to enhancing the extractability of target compounds while reducing the solvent requirement and shortening the extraction time. The effects of conventional processes and the application of green technologies are critically analyzed, and their effectiveness on the recovery of lycopene, polyphenols, cutin, pectin, oil, and proteins from tomato residues is discussed, focusing on their strengths, drawbacks, and critical factors that contribute to maximizing the extraction yields of the target compounds. Moreover, to follow the "near zero discharge concept", the utilization of a cascade approach to recover different valuable compounds and the exploitation of the residual biomass for biogas generation are also pointed out.

Keywords: bioactive compounds; biofuels; biorefinery; conventional solvent extraction; novel technologies; tomato by-products.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Top ten countries for tomato production based on FAOSTAT (2019) [8].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic of tomato processing by-product valorization, compounds recovered, and their potential fields of application.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematization of wet (A) and dry (B) methods for tomato peel and seed separation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of HPH technology and its effect on plant cell.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic representation of a continuous co-filed PEF treatment chamber.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic representation of ultrasound technology and its effect on plant cells.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Schematic representation of a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction system.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Schematic of microwave technology and its mechanism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nicastro R., Carillo P. Food Loss and Waste Prevention Strategies from Farm to Fork. Sustainability. 2021;13:5443. doi: 10.3390/su13105443. - DOI
    1. Www.Ifco.Com. [(accessed on 5 July 2022)]. Available online: https://www.ifco.com/countries-with-the-least-and-most-food-waste%0A.
    1. Caldeira C., De Laurentiis V., Corrado S., van Holsteijn F., Sala S. Quantification of Food Waste per Product Group along the Food Supply Chain in the European Union: A Mass Flow Analysis. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2019;149:479–488. doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.06.011. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sharma M., Usmani Z., Gupta V.K., Bhat R. Valorization of Fruits and Vegetable Wastes and By-Products to Produce Natural Pigments. Crit. Rev. Biotechnol. 2021;41:535–563. doi: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1873240. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Capanoglu E., Nemli E., Tomas-Barberan F. Novel Approaches in the Valorization of Agricultural Wastes and Their Applications. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2021;70:6787–6840. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07104. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources