The circular economy action plan involves principles related to food waste reduction and integration of recovered nutrients to the market. In this context, the present study aims to highlight the valuable bioactive components found in tomato processing by-products (carotenoids, phenolic compounds and fatty acids) influenced by industrial pre-treatments, particularly cold break (CB) process at 65–75 °C and hot break (HB) process at 85–95 °C. The fatty acid profile of the tomato seed oil was examined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), individual carotenoid and phenolic compositions were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the viscoelastic properties were evaluated by rheological measurements. The physicochemical properties revealed appropriate characteristics of the tomato seed oil to fit the standards of generally accepted edible oils, for both CB and HB derived samples, however, significant qualitative and quantitative differences were detected in their phenolic composition and carotenoids content. Lycopene (37.43 ± 1.01 mg/100 mL) was a major carotenoid in the examined samples, linoleic acid was the main fatty acid (61.73%) detected in the tomato seed oil and syringic acid appeared to be one of two major phenolic acids detected in the samples of CB process. Our findings extend the boundaries of tomato processing industry by validating that tomato seed oil is a bioactive rich edible oil with additional health benefits, which can be integrated in functional food products.

Key words: Color; Hardness; Maxillofacial prosthesis; Elastomers; Microwaves; Sodium hypochlorite

The effect of UVA–UVB irradiation on the mechanical properties of three different industrial types of polydimethylsiloxane and chlorinated polyethylene samples, used in maxillofacial prostheses, was investigated in this study. Mechanical properties and thermal analysis are commonly used to determine the structural changes and mechanical strength. An aging chamber was used in order to simulate the solar radiation and assess natural aging. Compression and tensile tests were conducted on a Zwick testing machine. Durometer Shore A hardness measurements were carried out in a CV digital Shore A durometer according to ASTM D 2240. Glass transition temperature was evaluated with a differential scanning calorimeter. Simple mathematical models were developed to correlate the measured properties with irradiation time. The effect of UVA–UVB irradiation on compressive behavior affected model parameters. Significant deterioration seems to occur due to irradiation in samples.