Chemical and organoleptic characteristics of tomato puree enriched with lyophilized tomato pomace

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have proved that tomato consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing severaldiseases(forexample,certaintypesofcancers,cardiovasculardiseases,maculardegeneration,age-relatedeyedisease). Many micronutrients and bioactive compounds are mainly present in peel and seeds and are lost during the processing into sauce,purée,pasteandjuice. RESULTS:Theadditionoflyophilizedandpowderedtomatopomaceenhancesthepropertiesofpurée.Inthispaperwereport thechemicalandphysicochemicalcharacterizationofapuréeenrichedwith2%drypomace.Comparisonoftheanalyticaldata ofstartingpuréewiththeenrichedpuréeshowedasignificantincreaseofallmicronutrients,withoutthetasteandappearance beingcompromisedoralterednegatively. CONCLUSION: The product obtained is an example of a functional food rich in health-promoting phytochemicals, with the significant aspect of recovering a waste fraction of the tomato processing that would normally be disposed of in landfill, with associatedcostsandenvironmentalimpact.