FunTomP - Functionalized Tomato Products

The objective of FunTomP is to reformulate traditional Mediterranean tomato products considering the current consumer trend of ‘functional foods’, using leaf proteins (by-products of sugar beet processing) and olive powder by using novel and eco-friendly processing technologies that will impact the nutrients minimally. Tomato will be transformed to different functional foods (juices, sauces, leather, bars, powder mixes) offering extra health benefits to satisfy the consumer demand while keeping a sustainable product and process cycle with the valorization of agricultural waste.

-To use the byproduct of the sugar beet industry (~Europe provides 50% of beet sugar), the beet leaves as a protein source and extract and perform a detailed characterization study (structural, chemical, and physical) for the leaf proteins; -To produce a stable high antioxidant value new olive powder that was pre-processed by high-pressure homogenization to keep the olive oil in the powder in capsulated form for the prevention of leakage during drying and to use microwave vacuum for drying purposes as an energy efficient method; -To produce functional foods formulated with the obtained olive powder, leaf protein, and tomato in the form of juices, sauces, dry mixes (instant juice/sauce), leathers, and tomato bars by using alternative technologies and evaluate the products’ physicochemical, nutritional, anti-cancer and sensorial properties