Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Lycopene from Papaya Processing Waste by Response Surface Methodology

Lycopene possesses strong antioxidant ability, which may provide protection against cancer and other degenerative diseases. An ultrasound-assisted extraction method has been developed for the extraction of lycopene from papaya (Carica papaya L.) processing waste. Optimization conditions were firstly determined using single factor experiment, and then response surface methodology was used. Analysis showed that second-order polynomial models produced a satisfactory fitting of the experimental data with regard to lycopene (R2 = 0.9147, P < 0.001). The optimal conditions were 42.28 % ethanol in ethyl acetate as a solvent and extraction for 26.09 min at 50.12 °C. Under these conditions, the maximum yield of lycopene was 189.8 ± 4.5 μg/g fresh weight (FW), which was higher than that obtained using the traditional extracting method (153.9 ± 7.8 μg/g FW) and the Soxhlet extraction method (68.3 ± 4.1 μg/g FW). The crude extract obtained could be used as either food additive or for further isolation and purification of lycopene. The results obtained are helpful for full utilization of papaya.