Question
I am writing to ask for your help because I need information about extracting lycopene and amino acids from the skins and seeds of tomatoes. (J.I.)
Answer
I have provided a link to a paper titled “A rapid spectrophotometric method for analyzing lycopene content in tomato and tomato products” that you may find useful. This is basically the method we use; its advantage is using small amounts of solvents compared with older techniques. Lycopene concentrations are also well correlated with nondestructive color measurements. I have also provided a link to a second article “Glutamine and glutamate levels and related metabolizing enzymes in tomato fruits with different shelf life”. This is a recent reference in which they determined amino acids.
–Marita Cantwell