Sensory attributes and antioxidant capacity of tomato meal extracts: A comparative analysis of enzymatic and ultrasonic extraction methods

This research explored the sensory and antioxidant properties of tomato meal extracts by enzymatic
and ultrasonic extraction based on sensory attributes and antioxidant activity. Tomato meal was treated with
bromelain at 0, 5, 10 and 15% (w/w) for 0, 15, 30 and 45 min which compared to ultrasonic extraction at
50 °C for 0, 15, 30 and 45 min. Results showed that 15% of bromelain for 45 min was the optimum condition
for enzymatic extraction while 30 min with ultrasonic wave was the optimum condition for ultrasonic
extraction. The sensory scores were measured by semi-trained panelists using quantitative descriptive analysis with a 5-point scoring test (0-4). The umami and overall acceptance of tomato meal extract derived from 15% of bromelain for 45 min were higher than tomato meal while ultrasonic extraction played a crucial role in imparting distinct characteristics, demonstrating a significant increase in sourness. In addition, tomato meal extracts from enzymatic extraction exhibited DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity with 55.12 and 73.78 mmol trolox equivalents/100g, respectively. Ultrasonic extraction could enhance DPPH and ABTS
radical scavenging activity as well which were 52.04 and 79.26 mmol trolox equivalents/100g, respectively.
The chemical structure of glutamic acid was detected by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).
The observed peaks at 1407 cm-1 and 1622 cm-1, which were assigned to amino group structure and carboxylic group were detected. The tomato meal extracts exhibited a significant potential as a functional flavor enhancer with different characteristics which could be a viable alternative to synthetic flavor enhancers.