ARTICLE INFO

ABSTRACT

Received date: 17/07/2015

Accepted date: 26/11/2015

Lycopene has been ascribed as a micro-nutrient which has many beneficial effects on human health due to its antioxidant activity. After high pressure homogenization, a decrease in lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility in tomato puree was reported. It was suggested that a new fiber network was formed and entrapped lycopene.  In addition, the chromoplast sub-structure also constitutes important physical structural barriers for lycopene release from the matrix and subsequent incorporation into micelles. In order to increase the lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility in tomato puree, enzymatic treatments using different cell wall degrading enzymes (Pectinex Ultra SP-L and Viscozyme) were applied to the homogenized tomato puree. Enzymatic treatments using phospholipase D and protease were also applied to a fraction enriched with chromoplast in order to enhance lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility. An in vitro digestion assay was used to investigate the effect of enzymatic treatments on lycopene bioaccessibility. Results showed that the enzymes effectively catalyzed for solubilizing the new fiber network that was formed upon homogenization. However, no significant increase in lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility was found after any of the enzymatic treatments. By applying phospholipase D and protease enzymes on the fraction enriched with chromoplast, no further increase in lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility was found. Therefore, it is suggested that the chromoplast sub-structure, meaning how lycopene crystals are embedded within the chromoplast organelle, constitutes the most important barrier for lycopene bioaccessibility in tomato fruit.

KEYWORDS

Lycopene, in vitro bioaccessibility, enzyme, cell wall, chromoplast

Cited as: Tuyen, N.T.M. and Thuy, N.T.M., 2015. Effect of enzymatic treatments on lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility in high pressure homogenized tomato puree and chromoplast fraction. Can Tho University Journal of Science. 1: 61-68.