Thermal degradation kinetics of carotenoids, vitamin C and provitamin A in tree tomato juice

Abstract

In this research, the influence of temperature on the degradation of carotenoids, vitamin C and provitamin A in tree tomato juice was studied at 70, 80 and 90 °C. The thermal processing significantly reduced (P < 0.001) the concentration of the bioactive compounds, and the thermal degradation in the evaluated phytochemicals fit a kinetic first order, with the following activation energies (Ea, kJ mol−1): α-carotene (69.75), β-carotene (59.50), provitamin A (51.67), zeaxanthin (43.66), vitamin C (41.27), lycopene (18.84) and β-cryptoxanthin (18.23). The kinetic study and thermodynamic analysis of the tree tomato juice showed that the degree of thermoresistance in the phytonutrients responded in the following order: β-cryptoxanthin > lycopene > vitamin C > zeaxanthin > provitamin A > β-carotene > α-carotene. This study benefits engineering processes interested in the design and optimisation of thermal processes aimed at preserving the nutritional quality of tree tomato juice.