Effect of Heat Treatment on the Lycopene Content of Tomato Puree.

Abstract

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Epidemiological studies have associated its consumption with numerous health benefits. In this study the effects of heating on lycopene were investigated by exposing tomato (lycopersicon esculentum) puree to different temperature treatments (60, 90, 100, 120, and 1500C) for 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes respectively in the dark. The concentrations of total lycopene in the puree were 6.76, 12.97, 11.00, 12.07, and 11.41 mg/5g at 600C, 14.54, 16.11, 13.97, 13.60, and 13.72 mg/5g at 900C, 10.55, 11.73, 11.98, 11.35, and 10.85 mg/5g at 1000C, 8.80, 9.82, 11.94, 12.68, and 10.21 mg/5g at 1200C, and 17.30, 16.97, 16.66, 17.28, 17.53 mg/5g at 1500C for 0, 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes respectively. The result shows that lycopene was relatively stable during thermal treatment and however, the result suggested that thermal processes might break down cell walls and enhance the release of lycopene from the tomato matrix.

Keywords: Antioxidant, Lycopene, Thermal Treatment, Tomato.