Enhancing Cutin Extraction Efficiency from Industrially Derived Tomato Processing Residues by High-Pressure...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Tomato peel residues are an abundant industrial byproduct.
• Cutin, a biopolymer found in plant cuticles, has potential industrial applications.
• Efficient and sustainable extraction methods for cutin are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance cutin extraction from tomato peel residues.
• To optimize conventional extraction and introduce high-pressure homogenization (HPH).
• To evaluate the impact of HPH on extraction yield, sustainability, and cutin properties.

Main Methods:

• Response surface methodology (RSM) for optimizing conventional extraction.
• High-pressure homogenization (HPH) as a pre-treatment method.
• Alkaline hydrolysis for cutin extraction.
• Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for characterization.

Main Results:

• Optimized conventional extraction yielded 32.5% cutin under specific conditions (130 °C, 120 min, 3% NaOH).
• HPH pre-treatment increased cutin yield to 46.1% (42% enhancement) using milder conditions (2% NaOH).
• FT-IR and TGA confirmed that HPH did not alter cutin's chemical structure or thermal stability.

Conclusions:

• HPH technology significantly improves cutin extraction efficiency from tomato peels.
• HPH enables extraction under milder, more sustainable conditions, reducing chemical consumption.
• This approach offers a viable route for valorizing tomato waste into valuable cutin.