The circular economy action plan involves principles related to food waste reduction and integration of recovered nutrients to the market. In this context, the present study aims to highlight the valuable bioactive components found in tomato processing by-products (carotenoids, phenolic compounds and fatty acids) influenced by industrial pre-treatments, particularly cold break (CB) process at 65-75 °C and hot break (HB) process at 85-95 °C. The fatty acid profile of the tomato seed oil was examined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), individual carotenoid and phenolic compositions were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the viscoelastic properties were evaluated by rheological measurements. The physicochemical properties revealed appropriate characteristics of the tomato seed oil to fit the standards of generally accepted edible oils, for both CB and HB derived samples, however, significant qualitative and quantitative differences were detected in their phenolic composition and carotenoids content. Lycopene (37.43 ± 1.01 mg/100 mL) was a major carotenoid in the examined samples, linoleic acid was the main fatty acid (61.73%) detected in the tomato seed oil and syringic acid appeared to be one of two major phenolic acids detected in the samples of CB process. Our findings extend the boundaries of tomato processing industry by validating that tomato seed oil is a bioactive rich edible oil with additional health benefits, which can be integrated in functional food products.

The health benefits of tomato seed oil (TSO) have been suggested to be related to its antioxidant activity, although at the moment not much information is available on the antioxidant effects of TSO in biological systems. In this paper, we evaluated the antioxidant capacity of TSO using different spectrophotometrical antioxidant assays (LPSC, FRAP, αTEAC, DPPH). Moreover, we determined the ability of TSO in inhibiting oxidative stress in human cultured macrophages. The peroxyl radical scavenging LPSC assay was the most sensitive assay to detect the antioxidant capacity of the TSO, followed by the DPPH, FRAP, and αTEAC assay. TSO was able to counteract spontaneous and H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in human macrophages, limiting intracellular ROS production and controlling oxidative stress signaling. In particular, TSO was able to decrease the phosphorylation of the MAPK ERK1/2, JNK, and p-38, activation of the redox-sensitive NF-kB, and expression of the heat shock proteins 70 and 90. When the antioxidant capacity of TSO was compared with that of purified lycopene, inhibition of ROS production by TSO was remarkably higher. This was due to the high content of other antioxidants in TSO, including (5Z)-, (9Z)-, (13Z)-, and (15Z)-lycopene isomers, β-carotene, lutein, γ-tocopherol, and α-tocopherol.

Growing attention to environmental protection leads food industries to adopt a model of "circular economy" applying safe and sustainable technologies to recover, recycle and valorize by-products. Therefore, by-products become raw material for other industries. Tomato processing industry produces significant amounts of by-products, consisting of skins and seeds. Tomato skin is very rich in lycopene, and from its seeds, high nutritional oil can be extracted. Alternative use of the two fractions not only could cut disposal costs but also allow one to extract bioactive compounds and an oil with a high nutritional value. This review focused on the recent advance in extraction of lycopene, whose beneficial effects on health are widely recognized.

Background: The high medicinal potential of plants, including edible vegetables, is well documented. Vegetables can afford significant health benefits to consumers, depending on their medicinal properties and nutritional value. This study analysed the antimicrobial activity and nutrient contents of nine commonly consumed Cameroonian vegetables and spices for which such information is at present limited.

Methods: The antimicrobial activity of the methanol extracts of the vegetables was evaluated by disc diffusion and microdilution methods against three tomato fungi and two pathogenic bacteria species.

Results: The inhibition zones against fungi ranged from 10–21 mm; Irvingia gabonensis and Apium graveolens showed the highest zones with dose-dependent activity against Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum. The inhibition zones against bacteria ranged from 8–12 mm with Allium porrum having the highest inhibition zone (12 mm). Irvingia gabonensis seeds had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 mg/mL against F. solani and also had the lowest MIC of 2 mg/mL against S. aureus. Proximate composition and mineral analysis were carried out on the most active antimicrobial vegetables, I. gabonensis seeds and A. graveolens. I. gabonensis seeds were rich in lipids (69.90 ±0.14%) while A. graveolens leaves were rich in protein (35.35 ±0.49%). For macro minerals, phosphorous had the highest concentration in I. gabonensis seeds (359.67 ±1.89 mg/100 g) and A. graveolens leaves (622.14 ±2.69 mg/100 g). Iron content was the highest of micro minerals in I. gabonensis seeds (276.51 ±1.41 mg/100 g) while zinc concentration was   the highest in A. graveolens leaves (16.86 ±0.27 mg/100 g).

Conclusions: This study has shown that three of the nine Cameroonian vegetables, I. gabonensis seeds, Apium graveolens and A. porrum, may potentially offer both antimicrobial and nutritional benefits to consumers. Consequently, further studies should be conducted to ascertain the effect of cooking and other factors in order to maximize these benefits.