Evaluation of Lyvopene and Vitamin C Content in Fresh and Dried Tomatoes

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) and its products play an significant role in modern human diet as important sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as well as their being relatively easily accessible foods. It is consumed in many forms, such as fresh, cooked, condensed, and dried. The study was conducted to investigate the vitamin c and lycopene content in fresh and dried tomatoes. The tomatoes sample were sliced and dried in a solar dryer for six days. Biochemical analysis was carried out on sample of both the dried slices and fresh fruits to estimate the vitamin C and lycopene content. Data collected was subjected to one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) of SPSS package and means separated by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (Duncan,2010) using the same computer package. In dried tomatoes the level of vitamin c and lycopene were found to be low and high in fresh tomatoes respectively with the value 7.57 ± 0.20 and 7.72 ± 0.26 in dried tomatoes, 32.34± 0.01and 7.72 ± 0.26 in fresh tomatoes respectively. It was observed that the lycopene content in fresh tomatoes is thrice in that of the dried tomato. It is then concluded that tomatoes can be a significant source of dietary lycopene and vitamin C. People often regard dried foods as less nutritious but this research reveals that it might not always be true for tomatoes. In addition to the specific nutritional benefits of tomato consumption, encouraging greater tomato and tomato product consumption may be a simple and effective strategy for increasing overall vitamins and lycopene intake.