They associated these differenceswith the modifications that take place in the tomato pulp microstructure during
processing, which can induce changes in the exposure of hydrophilic structures or cellular decompartmentalization, affecting the arrangement of the internalmembranes. This could cause changes in the accessibility of the carotenoids, which are located in the chromoplasts. For their part, Barba, Esteve, and Frígola (2010) studied the effect of HHP
at 100, 200, 300 and 400 MPa on the total carotenoid content of a plant product-based beverage and established that the treatments at 100 and 400 MPa led to a significant decrease in carotenoid content (p b 0.05). Patras, Brunton, Da Pieve, Butler, and Downey (2009) encountered similar results in tomato purees on applying pressures of 400 and 500 MPa for 15 min. This loss of carotenoid content could be
related to carotenoid polyene chain breakdown during processing. As
a result of processing, these compounds can undergo isomerization
and oxidation, the main causes of carotenoid breakdown