Optimization of lycopene extraction from tomato peels industrial by-product using maceration in refined olive oil

Abstract

Lycopene, a nutraceutical compound, was extracted from a Tunisian industrial tomato peels by-product using maceration in refined olive oil (ROO). To do, a Box–Behnken design was applied to maximize the lycopene recovery within ROO using variable temperatures (40–80 °C), agitation speeds (200–400 rpm) and tomato peels to ROO ratios (2.5–5.5%, w/v). Results showed that 99.3% of the initial lycopene content, being of 1244.50 ± 30.41 mg/kg on dry basis, was extracted using a biomass to oil ratio of 2.5% (w/v), a temperature of 80 °C and a magnetic stirring of 400 rpm for 45 min, resulting in a concentration of 35 mg lycopene/kg ROO. Importantly, this study presented a combined solution towards solving the pollution problem connected with tomato processing while enriching ROO in bioactive molecules, namely lycopene, preventing it from the potential drawbacks of lipid oxidation and increasing its nutritional and health benefits.