EU research: juicing tomato potential

Recent EU research has discovered that tomato waste is full of untapped, nutritious goodness, and suggested how to make the most of it. Instead of using the excess tomatoes for animal feed or simply discarding them, the EU TOM(ato) project suggests using the tomato waste as a natural food additive. Every year, around 4 million tonnes of tomato by-products are disposed of in Europe alone. These dregs, especially the seeds, are an excellent source of nutrient-rich substances such as carotenoids, proteins, sugars, fibre and oils. The TOM(ato) project will help treat tomato leftovers in a cleaner and cheaper way, without using chemicals to extract valuable nutrients, and reducing the overall amount of waste. To help with this two-year project, which kicked off last May, the European Union has contributed EUR 425 000 towards the total costs of over EUR 861 000. Participants include ten partners from the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Ireland and Portugal. Final results are due in April 2005.