Degradation kinetics of lycopene and visual color in tomato peel isolated from pomace

Kinetics of lycopene and visual color degradation of tomato peel was studied at selected temperatures (50-100 degrees C). Models based on lycopene and Hunter (a x b) values of fractional conversion were applied to determine the kinetic parameters. The degradation of lycopene and Hunter color values adequately followed first order reaction model with R-2 > 0.97. The temperature dependence of the rate constants was adequately modeled by the Arrhenius equation. The activation energies of lycopene and color parameters were 18.27 and 29.07 kJ/mol, respectively, indicating greater temperature sensitivity of visual color parameters. Correlation of lycopene content and Hunter (a x b) values showed that they can be used interchangeably with good accuracy.