Extraction of lycopene using a lecithin-based olive oil microemulsion

Incorporation of many water-insoluble nutraceuticals into aqueous formulations can present a real challenge for food industry. Hence, establishment of novel technologies for concurrent extraction and solubilisation of lipophilic compounds might be of a great interest. The main objective of the present study was to prepare olive oil microemulsions using different proportions of lecithin, 1-propanol, olive oil and water to examine their abilities to form microemulsion as well as extraction of lycopene from industrial tomato pomace. Lycopene extraction using 1 g tomato pomace and 4 extraction cycles applying 5 g microemulsion composed of lecithin: 1-propanol: olive oil: water (53.33:26.67:10:10 wt%) resulted in the highest extraction efficiency (88%). Such biocompatible and food-grade microemulsion containing lycopene can be applied in many food formulations where it can present a good solubility in aqueous and non-polar media and can improve the health-promoting properties of both lycopene and olive oil.