This work reports a novel enzyme-assisted process for lycopene concentration into a freeze-dried tomato
matrix and describes the results of laboratory scale lycopene supercritical CO
2
(SC-CO
) extractions carried
out with untreated (control) and enzyme-digested matrices. The combined use of food-grade commercial
plant cell-wall glycosidases (Celluclast/Novozyme plus Viscozyme) allows to increase lycopene
(153%) and lipid (137%) concentration in the matrix and rises substrate load onto the extraction vessel(46%) compared to the control. The addition of an oleaginous co-matrix (hazelnut seeds) to the tomato
matrix (1:1 by weight) increases CO
diffusion through the highly dense enzyme-treated matrix bed and
provides lipids that are co-extracted increasing lycopene yield. Under the same operative conditions
(50 MPa, 86 C, 4 mL min
1
SC-CO
2
2
flow) extraction yield from control and Celluclast/Novozyme + Viscozyme-treated
tomato matrix/co-matrix mixtures was similar, exceeding 75% after 4.5 h of extraction.
However, the total extracted lycopene was 3 times higher in enzyme-treated matrix than control.
2
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