Tomatoes for Processing: Multivariate Analysis of the Influence of Thermal Processing on Different Varieties of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

• Grant number: 25/10706-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Technology
• Principal Investigator: Angela Vacaro de Souza
• Grantee: Angela Vacaro de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Tupã. Tupã , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Tupã
• Associated research grant: 24/06944-5 - Tomatoes for processing: using mathematical modeling to predict the most suitable variety, AP.R
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/22768-5 - Tomatoes for Processing: Multivariate Analysis of the Influence of Thermal Processing on Different Varieties of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), BP.IC

Abstract

This project proposes the application of multivariate analysis to investigate the impact of thermal processing-cooking, dehydration, and freeze-drying-on the functional quality of five tomato varieties (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Physicochemical and functional analyses will be carried out, including the quantification of bioactive and antioxidant compounds. As statistical tools, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) will be used for dimensionality reduction and pattern visualization, and Pearson correlation will be applied to examine relationships among variables. PCA is a widely used multivariate statistical technique designed to reduce the dimensionality of large datasets while retaining as much variability as possible. This analysis transforms correlated variables into a new set of uncorrelated variables called principal components, which are linear combinations of the original variables. In the context of this project, PCA will be employed to identify patterns and clusters among different tomato varieties and processing methods, facilitating data visualization and interpretation. This approach will help highlight which variables (e.g., phenolic compounds, lycopene, soluble solids) most influence the differentiation between treatments, aiding in the understanding of the functional stability of each variety under thermal processing. The research aims to support the selection of tomato varieties that are best suited for thermal processing, with greater retention of functional compounds. (AU)