Fruit pomace (skins and seeds) is the primary byproduct of the juice and wine industries. This project focuses on the selective extraction of high-value compounds like Lycopene from tomatoes and Resveratrol from grape skins. These compounds are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from oxidative stress. By upcycling these skins, the project creates a secondary revenue stream for processors while providing the market with natural, plant-derived health ingredients.
The fruit skins are dried and milled into a fine powder. They undergo Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) using $CO_2$ or solvent-based extraction to isolate specific phytochemicals. The extracts are then purified through chromatography and stabilized via microencapsulation to ensure they remain potent during storage and consumption.
Rubisco is the most abundant protein on Earth, found in all green leaves. Tomato leaves, a major byproduct of greenhouse farming, are usually discarded. This project utilizes biorefinery techniques to extract Rubisco protein from these leaves. Once isolated, the protein is odorless, colorless, and possesses exceptional nutritional value and functional properties (like foaming and gelling), making it a high-potential alternative to soy or egg-white proteins.
Fresh tomato leaves are crushed to produce a green juice. The juice undergoes "de-greening" through filtration and centrifugation to remove chlorophyll. The protein is then precipitated using acid treatment or ultrafiltration. The final step involves spray-drying to produce a high-purity, white Rubisco protein powder that is free from the alkaloids (like tomatine) naturally found in the leaves.
