Tomato Peel Pretreatment for Lycopene Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tomato peel residue, rich in lycopene, is prone to spoilage due to high water content, leading to mold and the production of harmful substances like aflatoxin, making it difficult to effectively extract lycopene without losing quality.
Innovation Solution
A pretreatment method involving a combination of enzyme-bacteria fermentation using Lactobacillus and Bacillus subtilis strains, along with an antioxidant, to anaerobically ferment tomato peel residue, reducing water content and degrading impurities, thereby improving lycopene extraction efficiency and purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If tomato peel residue is stored for later processing, then production flexibility is improved, but the material becomes moldy and spoiled due to high water content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of tomato peel residue through fermentation, transforming it from a high-moisture, spoilage-prone material into a stable, low-moisture fermented product. This parameter transformation enables extended shelf life while maintaining quality stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful high water content that causes spoilage into a beneficial feature by using it as the basis for fermentation. The moisture enables microbial activity that preserves the material and improves its properties, turning the spoilage risk into a preservation mechanism.
2Productivity
If enzyme preparation is added to destroy cell walls, then lycopene extraction efficiency is improved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cell wall destruction function into the fermentation process itself by selecting microorganisms that produce cellulolytic enzymes. This combines the preservation function with the cell wall degradation function, eliminating the need for separate enzyme addition steps and reducing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fermentation microorganisms self-produce the necessary cellulolytic enzymes to destroy tomato peel cell walls during the fermentation process. The system serves its own cell wall destruction needs through microbial metabolism, eliminating the need for external enzyme preparation addition.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method extends the shelf life of tomato peel residue, prevents spoilage, and enhances lycopene yield and purity, making it suitable for industrial-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
mixing tomato peel residue with a fermenting agent, an antioxidant, and an enzyme preparation homogenously, and subjecting the resultant to light-proof anaerobic fermentation
Implementation Method 2
incorporating an enzyme preparation to effectively destroy the cell wall of cells of tomato peel residue
Implementation Method 3
Bacillus subtilis could quickly deplete the oxygen in the tomato peel residue, and inhibit the growth of other spoilage bacteria, and could produce cellulase to destroy the cell wall of tomato peel
Implementation Method 4
subjecting the resultant to light-proof anaerobic fermentation
Data Source
AI summary
A pretreatment method for producing a raw material of lycopene, comprising: uniformly mixing tomato peel residue with a fermenting agent, an antioxidant and an enzyme preparation, and subjecting the resultant to light-proof anaerobic fermentation. The present invention employs bacteria-enzyme-combined fermentation technology, which prolongs the storage period of wet tomato peel residue, and also destroys the cell wall of tomato peels, thus facilitating exaction of lycopene and improving the purity of lycopene extracted in the later stage.