Growth performance, plasma metabolites, meat quality, and meat and lipid health indices of New Zealand White rabbits as affected by dietary dried tomato pomace powder supplementation during the summer season.

One hundred and twenty New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) (5-week-old; 735.27 ± 27.23 g) were kept in an open-sided house during the summer season. The experiment aims to evaluate the impacts of dried tomato pomace powder (DTPP) supplementation on rabbits' performance, blood metabolites, carcass traits, meat quality, and lipid and health indices of NZW rabbits during 5-13 weeks of age. The four treatments were a standard rabbit feed (control) and the control diet supplemented with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% DTPP, respectively. Rabbits fed a diet containing 1.5% DTPP showed the highest growth rate through weeks 9-13 of age despite having the lowest feed intake spanning 5-13 weeks. The best feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded in rabbits fed with 1.5% DTPP-supplemented diet for 5-13 weeks. Diets supplemented with 0.5 or 1.0% DTPP enhanced markedly dressing %, total edible flesh, saturated (SFAs), monounsaturated (MUFAs), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) contents, as well as the ∑n - 6/∑n - 3 ratio and the total n - 6 of meat. Dietary supplementation with DTPP decreased kidney, abdominal, and back fat. Diets supplemented with DTTP decreased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL) concentrations. The greatest levels of linoleic acid, arachidonic and water-holding capacity in meat were observed in rabbits fed 1.5% DTPP-supplemented diets. Diets containing 1 and 1.5% DTPP improved meats' atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, meat lipid quality desired fatty acids/undesired fatty acids ratio, and meat health index. Conclusively, DTPP up to 1.5% maintained the growth performance of rabbits, boosted meat quality through increasing vitamin E, reduced fat deposition, modified fatty acid composition, and improved atherogenic, thrombogenic, and hypocholesterolemic indices of rabbit meat.

Growth, immune, antioxidant, and bone responses of heat stress-exposed broilers fed diets supplemented with tomato pomace.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of supplementation of dried tomato pomace (DTP) on growth performance, relative weights of viscera, serum biological parameters, antioxidant status, immune response, and bone composition of broilers exposed to a high ambient temperature. A total of 352 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly divided into four groups consisting of four replicates with 22 birds each. One group was reared under the thermoneutral zone and fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet. The other three groups were subjected to a cyclic heat stress from 29 to 42 days of age (34 ± 1 °C, 55 % RH, 5 h/day). These birds were fed corn-soybean meal basal diet or the same diet supplemented with 3 % DTP (420 mg lycopene/kg diet) or 5 % (708 mg lycopene/kg diet) of DTP. Blood samples were collected on days 28 and 42, and the birds were slaughtered at the same times. Supplementation of 5 % of DTP increased body weight and production index and decreased feed conversion ratio during 1-28 days of age. On day 28, the broilers supplemented with 5 % DTP had lower serum triglycerides and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration than those on the other dietary treatments. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were higher and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was lower in the broilers fed 5 % TP than those of the broilers fed other diets at 28 days of age. The effects of heat stress (HS) were impaired body weight, enhanced serum activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lipase, and MDA concentration while reducing the activities of GPx and SOD. Dried tomato pomace supplementation did not influence growth performance under HS but ameliorated the negative effects of HS on the serum enzyme activities, GPx activity, and lipid peroxidation. Heat stress did not change the relative weights of the lymphoid organs but reduced the total and IgG titers for secondary antibody response to sheep red blood cells and titer against Newcastle disease virus and increased the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. The supplementation with 5 % of DTP completely alleviated the negative effects of HS on immune responses. The ash, Ca, and P contents of the tibia bone were decreased under HS. The ash and Ca contents of the tibia were not significantly different between thermoneutral and heat-stressed broilers supplemented with 5 % DTP. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of DTP, particularly 5 % DTP, to broiler diet attenuated the detrimental effects of HS on the activities of serum enzymes, oxidative status, immune response, and bone composition.

Enzyme-aided extraction of lycopene from high-pigment tomato cultivars by supercritical carbon dioxide.

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 CO2 (SC-CO2) 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 CO2 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-CO2 flow) extraction yield from control and Celluclast/Novozyme+Viscozyme-treated tomato matrix/co-matrix mixtures was similar, exceeding 75% after 4.5h of extraction. However, the total extracted lycopene was ∼3 times higher in enzyme-treated matrix than control.

Processamento de tomate seco de diferentes cultivares / Dried tomato processing of different cultivars

O tomate seco apresenta um consumo crescente, principalmente como ingrediente de pizzas e lasanhas, e na forma de aperitivo. A pesquisa avaliou o processo de produção de tomate seco de quatro cultivares comerciais (Italiano, Débora Plus, Santa Cruz, Delícia) e a qualidade dos produtos prontos. O tomate foi fatiado em quatro cortes longitudinais, sentido pedúnculo-ápice, e as fatias tiveram suas massas loculares removidas. O secador foi regulado nas primeiras três horas para 100ºC, seguido de 80ºC até completar a secagem do produto, o qual apresentou uma umidade residual em torno de 60 por cento. A cv. Delícia produziu a maior perda de 39,8 por cento durante o preparo das fatias frescas, sendo que as perdas para as demais cultivares variaram entre 32,7 a 34,3 por cento. Os rendimentos dos tomates inteiros em produtos prontos foram iguais a: cv. Débora Plus 9,1 por cento; cv. Santa Cruz 8,9 por cento; cv. Delícia 8,6 por cento; e cv. Italiano 8,3 por cento. O maior tempo de secagem de 9 horas e 25 minutos foi para a cv. Delícia; as demais apresentaram um mínimo de 8 horas e 10 minutos (Italiano) e um máximo de 8 horas e 35 minutos (Santa Cruz). Os tomates secos das cultivares Italiano e Débora Plus apresentaram-se levemente adocicados; o da cv. Santa Cruz foi ainda menos; e, esta característica foi de difícil percepção para o da cv. Delícia, que também teve uma mastigação não suave e mais prolongada. Apesar da diferença, os produtos tomates secos obtidos a partir dessas cultivares não diferiram significativamente quanto ao paladar quando degustados por provadores não treinados.

Consumption of dried tomatoes has been increasing, mainly as an ingredient of pizzas and lasagnas, and also as an appetizer. This study evaluated the production process of four commercial varieties (Italiano, Débora Plus, Santa Cruz, Delícia) and the quality of the finished products, which had a moisture content of around 60 percent. The tomatoes were sliced into four longitudinal cuts in the stalk-apex direction and the seed masses were removed. The drier was set at 100ºC for the first three hours, followed by 80ºC until the drying was complete. Delícia had the greatest moisture loss (39.8 percent) during the preparation of the fresh slices, while the losses of the other cultivars varied between 32.7 percent and 34.3 percent. The yields of whole tomatoes in terms of finished product were: Débora Plus 9.1 percent; Santa Cruz 8.9 percent; Delícia 8.6 percent; and Italiano 8.3 percent. The longest drying period of 9 hours and 25 minutes was noted for Delícia; the drying times of the other varieties ranged from 8 hours and 10 minutes (Italiano) to 8 hours and 35 minutes (Santa Cruz). The dried tomatoes of Italiano and Débora Plus had a lightly sweet flavor; Santa Cruz had a less sweet flavor, and this characteristic was difficult note in Delícia. The dried samples of the latter cultivar were also not as soft and took longer to chew. Although there were differences between these products, they did not differ significantly to the palate when tested by untrained tasters (180 total).

Spray-dried tomato powder: reconstitution properties and colour

Powdered tomato was produced by spray drying the tomato pulp. A full 2³ factorial design with the central point was used, varying the feed flow rate (127-276 g/min), air inlet temperature (200-220ºC) and the atomisation speed (25,000-35,000 rpm). The responses analysed were: moisture content, solubility, wettability consistency and colour, but the factors only significantly affected the colour parameter. All the samples became significantly darker and less red with an increase of the variables under study. A low atomisation speed (25,000 rpm) and lower inlet air temperature (220ºC) produced the powders with a higher colour index (a/b) and less darkening.

Tomate em pó foi produzido por secagem por atomização da polpa de tomate. Um planejamento 2³fatorial completo com ponto central foi conduzido variando a taxa de alimentação (127276 g/min), temperatura de entrada do ar (200-220ºC) e a velocidade de atomização (25000-35000 rpm). As respostas analisadas foram: conteúdo de umidade, solubilidade, molhabilidade, consistência e cor, ma os fatores somente afetaram significativamente a cor. Todas as amostras tornaram significantemente mais escuras e menos vermelhas com o aumento das variáveis sob estudo. Baixa velocidade de atomização (25000 rpm) e menor temperatura do ar de secagem (220ºC) produziram pós de maior índice de cor (a/b) e menor escurecimento.