When tomatos are processed, some 40 per cent of the tomato raw material ends up as residue, mainly skin and seeds. But the seeds, considered by the processing industry simply as waste or used as animal feed, is still a source of nutrients such as carotenoids, proteins, sugars, fibre, wax and oils valuable for their high unsaturated fats content.
Scientists in Spain are working with industry stakeholders to obtain and purify these high-value nutritional compounds from the residue. Their aim is to capture these nutrients and to convert them into viable products for use as ingredients in the formulation and manufacture of functional foods.
Knocked by over production in 1999-2000, the global tomato processing industry has seen prices tumble in recent years, a situation that is only now just starting to improve. Growing competition from China - now the third largest producer although 10 years ago a small player, has also diluted prices. And imminent competition from producers in an enlarged Europe will also change the landscape and make for pressing times for the industry.
Opportunities to not only save costs lost on the residue, but at the same time create added-value ingredients that could cash in on the growing boom for foods with health benefits could be good news for the European industry.
The fundamental aim of the European TOM project based at the Basque research center AZTI in Spain is the evaluation of tomato residue - that represents some 40 per cent of the tomato raw material in processing.
'The purified compounds will be free of those solvents commonly used in other methods and possible remains of pesticides due to the peculiarities of this process, based on the technology known as affinity chromatography, which is to be applied on an industrial scale,' write the researchers.
They explain that in order to obtain the first crude extracts, they will use conventional and "clean" environmental methods, such as the extraction with water and supercritical CO2. The component extracted is then purified with affinity chromatography to a level of purity greater than ninety-eight per cent.
'Given the low cost of the raw material and the special features of this process, a significant reduction in production costs is expected and, therefore, a lower price for the products obtained in comparison to similar or less pure products currently in the market,' cite the researchers.
Against a backdrop of weak prices, the industry could gain much from this European-backed research project. 'Prices for tomatoes only started to rise some 8 to 9 months ago,' a spokesperson for AMITOM, the Mediterranean International Association of the Tomato Processing told FoodNavigator.com.
'Many companies have suffered in Europe, particularly smaller producers such as France, and we are still feeling the impact of overproduction,' he added.
California is currently the largest tomato processor, followed by Italy and the new kid on the top block, China.
'The industry continues to feel the impact of emerging markets such as China, Chili and Turkey,' said the industry body.
In Europe, 8.5 million tons of tomatoes are cultivated annually with 1.5 million tons sold directly to the consumer and 7 million are processed for products such as ketchup and sauces.