Enhancing avocado puree with encapsulated tomato by‐products. Effect of processing methods in the bioactive quality retention

Abstract BACKGROUND This study investigates the possible use of revalorized tomato waste as a source of encapsulated bioactive compounds to develop a carotenoid‐enriched spreadable avocado puree. Conventional pasteurization (CP), high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), ultrasound (US), and a combination of US and HHP (US + HHP) were the processing treatments assayed. Fresh blended puree was used as control (CTRL). A shelf‐life study of 22 days at 4 °C was performed where physicochemical properties, microbial load, free polyphenol content (FPC), and carotenoid content were periodically assessed. RESULTS HHP treatment preserved colour stability (by ~50–75% compared to the remaining treatments) and decreased microbial load (by 2–4 log CFU g −1 ), while US was less successful for this purpose. Phenolics and carotenoids were highly retained by encapsulation, and samples treated with HHP preserved the greatest amounts by approximately 25–35% compared to CTRL. CONCLUSIONS The quality of the developed avocado puree is improved throughout the shelf‐life using a non‐thermal HHP processing combined with the supplementation of encapsulated biocompounds from tomato by‐products. This opens an opportunity to revalorize horticultural by‐products as possible functional ingredients into novel food matrices. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.