Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the fresh tomato and
those dried under sun and inside solar dried are shown in
Table 1. TPC of the fresh samples was 735 mg of TA equivalent
/ 100 g of sample. Upon drying, there was a decrease in
TPC in both sun and solar dried samples compared to fresh
samples (p68 % loss) in model dermatological
formulations (emulsions) when exposed to UV radiation
(Bianchi et al. 2011). In addition, the study reported on the
relative ability of sunscreen agents to prevent the catechin
photolysis, which was reduced by ca. 50 % (Bianchi et al.
2011). Therefore, drying of tomatoes can extend their shelllife;
however, the drying can also result in decrease of important
compounds or nutrients which are known to
possess several health benefits. Polyphenolic compounds,
such as flavonoids and phenolic acids are a large group of
secondary metabolites which are important in the human diet
due to their potential health functionality (Chang et al. 2006).