Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Solvent extraction of lycopene from tomato processing waste: extraction optimisation, microencapsulation and product properties

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12051
Submitted
29 September 2025
Published
15-07-2026 — Updated on 29-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

Lycopene, a major carotenoid responsible for the red colour of tomatoes, is a bioactive compound with strong antioxidant properties and potential health benefits. The present study focuses on identifying an effective solvent system for lycopene extraction and assessing the encapsulation performance using the spray drying technique. Spray drying was carried out at an inlet temperature of 160 °C, an outlet temperature of 85 °C, an airflow rate of 30 mL/min and an aspiration of 45 °C. The extract was spray-dried under optimised conditions using sucrose/gum arabic (SA) and sucrose/gelatin (SG) as carrier materials and was characterised using Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The n-hexane: acetone: ethanol (1:1:1, v/v/v) system yielded the highest lycopene content (7.69 ± 0.43 mg/100g). The encapsulation efficiency varied between formulations, with sucrose-gum arabic (SA) microcapsules achieving higher efficiency (70.96 ± 0.67 to 89.09 ± 0.80 %) compared to sucrose-gelatin (SG) microcapsules (54.30 ± 0.95 to 77.28 ± 0.86 %). The microcapsules exhibited particle sizes ranging from 2–4 micrometres (µm), with a spherical shape and some deformations. It was concluded that sucrose/gum arabic (SA) had higher encapsulation efficiency and antioxidant activity, making it a promising carrier material for lycopene preservation.

References

  1. 1. Ge B, Wang W, Gao Y, Chen X. Optimization of extraction of lycopene from carrot and determination of its antioxidant activity. J Food Meas Charact. 2023:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-023-02046-9
  2. 2. Szabo K, Teleky BE, Ranga F, Simon E, Pop OL, Babalau-Fuss V, et al. Bioaccessibility of microencapsulated carotenoids, recovered from tomato processing industrial by-products, using in vitro digestion model. LWT. 2021;152:112285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112285
  3. 3. Reverchon E, Scognamiglio M, Baldino L. Lycopene extract from tomato concentrate and its co-precipitation with PVP using hybrid supercritical processes. J CO2 Util. 2022;64:102157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2022.102157
  4. 4. Desai PR, Holihosur PD, Marathe SV, Kulkarni BB, Vishal UK, Geetanjali RK, et al. Studies on isolation and quantification of lycopene from tomato and papaya and its antioxidant and antifungal properties. Int J Agric Innov Res. 2018;6:257–60.
  5. 5. Cante RC, Gallo M, Varriale L, Garella I, Nigro R. Recovery of carotenoids from tomato pomace using a hydrofluorocarbon solvent in sub-critical conditions. Appl Sci. 2022;12:2822. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062822
  6. 6. Løvdal T, Van Droogenbroeck B, Eroglu EC, Kaniszewski S, Agati G, Verheul M, et al. Valorization of tomato surplus and waste fractions: a case study using Norway, Belgium, Poland and Turkey as examples. Foods. 2019;8:229. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8070229
  7. 7. Chada PSN, Santos PH, Rodrigues LGG, Goulart GAS, Azevedo dos Santos JD, Maraschin M, et al. Non-conventional techniques for the extraction of antioxidant compounds and lycopene from industrial tomato pomace using spouted bed drying. Food Chem X. 2022;13:100237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100237
  8. 8. Khongthaw B, Chauhan PK, Dulta K, Kumar V, Ighalo JO. Lycopene: extraction, microencapsulation and therapeutic properties. Bioresour Technol Rep. 2024;101787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2024.101787
  9. 9. Tawiah B, Asinyo BK, Frimpong C, Howard EK, Seidu RK. Encapsulated pigments: preparation, performance and application. Color Technol. 2022;138:224–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/cote.12597
  10. 10. Li J, Campardelli R, Firpo G, Zhang J, Perego P. Oil-in-water nanoemulsions loaded with lycopene extracts encapsulated by spray drying. Chin J Chem Eng. 2024;70:73–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjche.2024.03.002
  11. 11. Zambiri S, Usman MM, Sarki YG, Moroto HY. Proximate and heavy metal analysis of fresh and dried tomatoes. Nasara J Sci Technol. 2022;9:60–7.
  12. 12. Bressy FC, Brito GB, Barbosa IS, Teixeira LSG, Korn MGA. Determination of trace elements in tomato by ICP OES and ICP-MS. Microchem J. 2013;109:145–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2012.03.010
  13. 13. Naviglio D, Pizzolongo F, Ferrara L, Naviglio B, Santini A. Extraction of pure lycopene from industrial tomato waste in water. Afr J Food Sci. 2008;2:37–44.
  14. 14. Allison BJ, Simmons CW. Valorization of tomato pomace by sequential lycopene extraction and anaerobic digestion. Biomass Bioenergy. 2017;105:331–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.07.019
  15. 15. Siwach R, Tokas J. Analysis of purified lycopene extract from fresh tomatoes. Int J Chem Stud. 2018;6:597–601.
  16. 16. Ranveer RC, Rathod NB, Debaje PP, Sahoo AK. Extraction, purification and characterization of lycopene from tomato waste. Eur J Nutr Food Saf. 2020;12:83–90. https://doi.org/10.9734/ejnfs/2020/v12i1230337
  17. 17. Vidhya V, Arunadevi S. UV-Vis, GC-MS and FT-IR analysis of lycopene from Citrullus lanatus. 2015:4830–4.
  18. 18. Baghi F, Ghnimi S, Dumas E, Gharsallaoui A. Microencapsulation of antimicrobial trans-cinnamaldehyde. Appl Sci. 2023;13:6184. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13106184
  19. 19. Khongthaw B, Chauhan PK, Dulta K, Kumar V, Vlaskin MS, Ighalo JO. Lycopene-incorporated biodegradable pectin films. Chem Afr. 2024:1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42250-024-01125-8
  20. 20. Sengkhamparn N, Phonkerd N. Phenolic extraction from tomato waste by ultrasound-assisted extraction. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng. 2019;639:012040. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/639/1/012040
  21. 21. Rahimi S, Mikani M. Ultrasound-assisted extraction of lycopene using edible oil. Microchem J. 2019;146:1033–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2019.02.039
  22. 22. Thakur NS, Thakur A. Microencapsulation of wild pomegranate phenolics. LWT. 2020;133:110077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110077
  23. 23. Chen L, Xiang M, Wu F, Jiang Y, Wu Q, Zhang W, et al. Encapsulation of lycopene into electrospun nanofibers. Int J Biol Macromol. 2023;238:123993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123993
  24. 24. Osma E, Özyiğit İİ, Leblebici Z, Demir G, Serin M. Heavy metal concentrations in tomato. 2012. https://doi.org/20.500.11787/4811
  25. 25. Akter MK, Motalab M, Zubair MA, Haque MZ, Saha BK, Mumtaz B. Isolation and quantification of lycopene from tomato. Int J Food Sci Nutr Diet. 2020;9:442–7. https://doi.org/10.19070/2326-3350-2000079
  26. 26. Rayhan M, Mumtaz B, Motalab M, Zubair MA, Haque MZ, Saha BK. Extraction of lycopene from papaya. Am J Food Nutr. 2019;7:55–63.
  27. 27. Mai AA, Al Dajah S, Murad AA, El-Salem AM, Khafajah AM. Extraction and characterization of lycopene from tomato cultivar. Curr Res Nutr Food Sci. 2019;7:532. https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.7.2.22
  28. 28. Gallo M, Formato A, Ciaravolo M, Langella C, Cataldo R, Naviglio D. Water extraction of lycopene from tomato waste. Eur Food Res Technol. 2019;245:1767–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-019-03300-5
  29. 29. Kunthakudee N, Chutvirasakul B, Ramakul P. Green extraction of lycopene using vegetable oil. AIP Conf Proc. 2023;2669. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0121531
  30. 30. Ademosun OT, Agwamba EC, Ahmad I, Patel H, Louis H, Adebayo AH, et al. Cytotoxic evaluation of tomato-carrot extract. Open Chem. 2024;22:20230164. https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2023-0164
  31. 31. Sampaio GLA, Pacheco S, Ribeiro APO, Galdeano MC, Gomes FS, Tonon RV. Encapsulation of lycopene-rich watermelon concentrate. LWT. 2019;116:108589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2019.108589
  32. 32. Mihalcea L, Crăciunescu O, Gheonea I, Prelipcean AM, Enachi E, Barbu V, et al. Supercritical CO₂ extraction of lycopene oleoresins. Antioxidants. 2021;10:222. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10020222
  33. 33. De Guzman JJ, Monserate JJ, Panajon NM, Salazar JR, Eugenio PJG, Sarong MM. Nanoencapsulation of lycopene using chitosan and alginate. Int J Des Nat Ecodyn. 2024;19:1261–7. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijdne.190417
  34. 34. Ghorani B, Emadzadeh B, Rezaeinia H, Russell SJ. Gelatin solubility after electrospinning. Food Hydrocoll. 2020;104:105740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2020.105740
  35. 35. Shukla V, Niveria K, Shashidhar P, Verma AK. DLS particle size analysis. 2023:11–6. https://doi.org/10.1088/978-0-7503-3379-5ch16
  36. 36. Pochapski DJ, dos Santos CC, Leite GW, Pulcinelli SH, Santilli CV. Zeta potential and colloidal stability. Langmuir. 2021;37:13379–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02056
  37. 37. Corrêa-Filho LC, Lourenço SC, Duarte DF, Moldão-Martins M, Alves VD. Spray drying of tomato pomace extract. Appl Sci. 2019;9:612. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030612
  38. 38. Zhang D, Jiang Y, Xiang M, Wu F, Sun M, Du X, et al. Lycopene nanoparticles and oxidative stress. Front Nutr. 2022;9:902208. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.902208
  39. 39. Sharma P, Saxena P, Jaswanth A, Chalamaiah M, Tekade KR, Balasubramaniam A. Lycopene niosomes and anticancer activity. J Bioequiv Bioavailab. 2016;8:224–32. https://doi.org/10.4172/jbb.1000300
  40. 40. Nunes C, Mahendrasingam A, Suryanarayanan R. Quantification of crystallinity by X-ray diffractometry. Pharm Res. 2005;22:1942–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-005-7626-9
  41. 41. Pu C, Tang W. Encapsulation of lycopene in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Food Chem. 2017;235:283–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.05.069
  42. 42. Pelissari JR, Souza VB, Pigoso AA, Tulini FL, Thomazini M, Rodrigues CEC, et al. Solid lipid microparticles loaded with lycopene. Food Bioprod Process. 2016;98:86–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2015.12.006
  43. 43. Gheonea I, Aprodu I, Cîrciumaru A, Râpeanu G, Bahrim GE, Stănciuc N. Microencapsulation of lycopene by coacervation. J Food Eng. 2021;288:110166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2020.110166
  44. 44. Stajčić SM, Ćetković GS, Čanadanović-Brunet JM, Tumbas-Šaponjac VT, Vulić JJ, Šeregelj VN. Encapsulation of carotenoids from tomato waste. Acta Period Technol. 2020:149–61. https://doi.org/10.2298/APT2051149S
  45. 45. Zhu Y, Zhang C, Sun X, Wen J, Quek SY. Co-encapsulation of ω-3 PUFA and carotenoids. eFood. 2024;5:e70016. https://doi.org/10.1002/efd2.70016
  46. 46. Arepally D, Goswami TK. Spray drying of probiotics: effect of parameters. LWT. 2019;99:583–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2018.10.022
  47. 47. Yousefi M, Khanniri E, Shadnoush M, Khorshidian N, Mortazavian AM. Chitosan-coated alginate microcapsules of plant extract. Int J Biol Macromol. 2020;163:44–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.250
  48. 48. Tan SP, Kha TC, Parks S, Stathopoulos C, Roach PD. Spray-drying encapsulation of bitter melon extract. Foods. 2015;4:400–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods4030400

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.