Bioactivity Potential of Mediterranean Tomato Paste: An Aspect to be Further Valorized for Fair Pricing

This study aimed to compare the lycopene content, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile, and prebiotic activity of tomato paste from Algeria with benchmark products from Italy and Greece. The benchmark products had some prebiotic activity, while the pilot product did not due to the increased growth of E. coli. Despite this, its chemical properties indicate potential competitiveness in the European market. In fact, the pilot product had a richer volatiloma than benchmarks, which may result in a diverse aromatic profile due to the quali-quantitative VOCs differences. The Algerian product turned out to be more similar to the Italian benchmark product than to the Greek one. In the case of lycopene, the pilot product had a similar content with respect to those of benchmarks, which would represent a marketing advantage for its distribution in Europe. Considering these promising results, it would be advisable to further explore these aspects related to the bioactivity potential of Mediterranean tomato paste, in order to further valorized it with a fair pricing perspective.