Optimizing the extraction of high-potency antioxidants from Solanum lycopersicum L. fruit: a comparative study of microwave-assisted, ultrasound-assisted and accelerated solvent extractions.

Abstract

Tomatoes, rich in phenolics and antioxidants, offer a rich source of dietary antioxidants with potential health-promoting properties. Owing to the involvement of toxic solvents, high energy consumption, and hazardous waste, a safer and more sustainable extraction method has been preferred in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This study systematically investigated three advanced extraction techniques-microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE)-to maximize phenolic yield and antioxidant capacity while concurrently minimizing the use of hazardous solvents, focusing Baccarat tomato variant. Among the tested methods, ASE demonstrated superior DPPH radical scavenging activity (87.480 ± 0.856%) with an IC50 of 4.65 mg/mL, while UAE achieved the highest total phenolic content (TPC, 9.060 ± 0.028 mg GAE/g DW). A strong correlation between TPC and antioxidant activities (DPPH and FRAP) was observed, emphasizing interdependence between phenolic content and bioactivity. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed 66.66% of ASE samples grouped into a cluster based on enhanced antioxidant properties. While UAE is superior for maximizing phenolic yield, ASE is the optimal method for producing extracts with the highest antioxidant potency, highlighting the critical role of technology selection in developing targeted ingredients for functional foods and therapeutic agents toward good health and well-being.