Bioactive compounds in industrial tomato sauce after processing and storage

The effects of industrial processing, product parameters (lethality F10 100 and Brix) and storage (up to 24 months at Troom) on the content and antioxidant capacity (AC) of the bioactive compounds in industrial tomato sauce were studied. The total phenolic content (TPC) of both the hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions (using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and a direct absorbance reading at 280 nm), in addition to the lycopene content and AC (using the ABTS+ assay), were analysed. Statistical analysis showed that the content and activity of the studied bioactive constituents were positively influenced by the Brix but not influenced by the thermal treatment severity (up to 40 min as F10 100 ), that the TPC and its AC did not vary during storage, and that the lycopene AC decreased by 30% in the first year and then remained constant. The lycopene fraction and the hydrophilic fractions contributed 83% and 27%, respectively, of the sauce AC.