Thermal processing enhances the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing total antioxidant activity
Processed fruit and vegetable have been long considered to have lower nutritional value than their fresh commodities due to the loss of Vc during processing. This research group found Vc in apples contributed 0.4% of total antioxidant activity, indicating most of the activity comes from the natural combination of phytochemicals. This suggests that processed fruit and vegetable may retain their antioxidant activity despite the loss of Vc. Here it is shown that although loss of Vc was observed, thermal processing elevated total antioxidant activity and bioaccessible lycopene content in tomatoes and produced no significant changes in the total phenolics and total flavonoids content, and thermal processing enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes.