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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

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
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.

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