Green extraction of lycopene and volatile compounds from solanum lycopersicum (tomato) peel and products

The primary aim of this study is the quantitative determination of lycopene and volatile composition in tomato peel and commercial tomato products using subcritical ethanol extraction. Box- Behnken Response Surface Methodology was conducted in order to evaluate the key operational parameters of the extraction process. The priority of the current study was to determine the lycopene efficiency; however, antioxidant activity and total volatile analysis of the extracts were also further evaluated using spectroscopic and chromatographic assays. AGREE-Analytical greenness metric software was applied to evaluate the greenness of the proposed extraction process. These findings demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure in achieving the highest extraction yield (6.51 mg g⁻¹) from tomato peel in the literature. The study emphasises the significance of advanced extraction technologies in converting agricultural raw material or waste into value-added products, thereby promoting the advancement of a green circular economy.