Effects of Traditional and Bio-Based Packaging on Bioactive Compounds of Tomato By-Products During Storage

Packaging has the main role of protecting a product during storage, and the material selected for packaging has a crucial role in shelf-life control. In recent years, according to the recent European regulations on plastics, different materials have been proposed with the aim of reducing the use of fossil-based packaging. In the present work, the storage of tomato by-product powders dried at different temperatures (40 and 70 °C), in different types of packaging (plastic bag, bioplastic bag, edible active film, and edible active film enriched with antioxidants) was monitored for 11 months. Several analytical approaches were used to characterize the properties of the product after drying treatment. Oxidative stability was evaluated through the Oxitest reactor; bioactive compounds content, such as total phenolic and percentage of total antioxidant capacity, were assessed through spectrophotometric assays; high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis was employed for β-carotene and lycopene contents monitoring. Results showed a progressive reduction in all parameters, with slight differences in the behavior of the aliquots stored in the different materials. Samples stored in bioplastic showed a higher retention of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity at early storage stages, whereas conventional plastic and active packaging exhibited comparable or improved performance at later stages, depending on the analytical parameter considered.