# Characterization of the Polyphenolic Profile in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum P. Mill) Peel and Seeds by LC-HRMS/MS

## TL;DR

This study identifies many polyphenols in tomato peels and seeds, showing they contain valuable compounds for food, medicine, and cosmetics.

## Contribution

The study identifies 57 polyphenolic compounds in tomato byproducts, with eight being newly reported in tomatoes.

## Key findings

- Tomato byproducts contain high levels of polyphenols, mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids.
- Eight compounds were identified for the first time in tomato byproducts.
- Byproducts from Murcia had higher polyphenol abundance than those from Almería.

## Abstract

Peel and seeds are the main byproducts from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum P. Mill) processing with
high concentrations of polyphenols that have been underexploited.
Herein, polyphenolic profiles in tomato peel and seeds were elucidated
by untargeted liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass
spectrometry (LC-HRMS) with an LTQ Orbitrap analyzer. Samples from
two Spanish regions—“Murcia” and “Almería”—were
analyzed to obtain complementary results. 57 compounds were found,
mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids, of which eight were identified
for the first time in tomato. Polyphenols were more abundant in byproducts
from “Murcia” samples than in those from“Almería”
samples, where the abundance of compounds like coutaric, caffeic,
neochlorogenic, dicaffeoylquinic and ferulic acids, vanillic acid
hexoside, catechin, naringenin, prunin, apigenin-O-hexoside, rutin, and rutin-O-pentoside was even
much higher in byproducts than that in whole fruits. These results
reveal the wide range of polyphenols found in tomato byproducts, with
potential applications in pharmaceutical research, food preservation,
and cosmetic development, among others.