Evaluation of the effect of pectinase and ultrasound treatment on quality and extraction yield of lycopene from tomato

In current study, colorant fraction of tomatoes containing lycopene was extracted using pectinase (1, 1.5 and 2 percent) and ultrasound assisted (0, 20, 30 and 40 min) pretreatment perior to solvent extraction by petroleum ether – aceton (1:1 ratio). Selected treatments were compared with the blank sample extracted without any pretreatments. Extraction yield, antioxidant capacity and colorimetric parameters of the resulted lycopene were evaluated. Results showed that the effect of enzyme concentration and sonication time and their interaction had significant effects on the extraction yield, antioxidant capacity, a-value and a/b index (p <0.05); whereas, they had no significant effect on L and b parameters. The sample treated with 2% pectinase and 30 min ultrasound showed the highest yield (70.21 mg/kg), antioxidant activity (70.20%), a-value (45.77) and a/b (1.33) in comparison with non-treated sample with the lowest yield (26.31 mg/kg), antioxidant activity (45.53%), a-value (30.33) and a/b (0.87). It is concluded that pretreatment with pectinase and ultrasound would increase the yield of extraction and functional properties of the extracted lycopene.