Insight in processing induced barriers of lycopene bioaccessibility from tomatoes.

In tomatoes, lycopene -an interesting antioxidant- is localized in the chromoplasts. These chromoplasts are in their turn enclosed by a cell membrane and cell wall which are barriers restricting the bioaccessibility of lycopene. Interestingly, the tomato microstructure can be modulated by food processing affecting lycopene bioaccessibility. A commonly used unit operation during tomato juice production is high pressure homogenization (HPH). Research has shown that HPH of tomato decreases lycopene bioaccessibility with increasing pressure levels. It has been hypothesized that a newly formed fiber network physically entraps lycopene after HPH. The cell wall polymers pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose are the most feasible candidates to contribute to this fiber network. The present research projects aims at a profound understanding of the structural barriers which determine lycopene release and bioaccessibility of high pressure homogenized tomato-based products. The general objective is to answer the following research questions: (i) which cell wall polysaccharides are the major contributors to the HPH induced fiber network and (ii) is it possible to break down the induced fiber network using exogenous enzymes?

Keywords:Barriers, Cell wall polymers, Lycopene, tomato, Bioaccessibility

Disciplines:Food sciences and (bio)technology