Eight commercial enzyme preparations with pectinolytic, cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic and proteolytic activities were tested for their ability to enhance lycopene extraction from tomato peels. Screening experiments were performed at 40 °C by subjecting the peels to a 1-h enzyme
incubation followed by 1-h hexane extraction. The resulting yields were between 51 and 195.9 mg of lycopene per 100 g of dry tomato peels, while the value obtained for the untreated peels was 23.7 mg /100 g. Synergistic and antagonist effects were observed when different enzyme products
were used in 50:50 (v/v) combination. The preparations richest in cellulase and pectinase were the most efficient, with an up to 10-fold increase in extraction yield. A statistical analysis of factors affecting lycopene extraction revealed that enzyme dosage was the most influential,
followed by temperature and enzyme incubation time. A strong interaction was also found between the latter two variables
