Generating electricus from Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) is useful for enhancing electrochemical reactions. The fruit’s
natural pigment lycopene acts as a mediator in the device. That means that it acts like a
shuttle, carrying electrons from the source to the electrode, and then looping around and
performing the task again. Currently, power output is small. Using the device, the team
generated 0.3 W of electricity from 10 mg of tomato waste ( Greg Watry, 2016).

According to Antonio Pasolini (2016), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) Bacteria breaks down and oxidize
the organic material, causing electrons to be released and then captured into the fuel cell to convert
into electricity. But it is believed that the technology can be scaled up and the output greatly
increased).It was explained by the research team that the oxidation triggered by bacteria interacting
that releases electrons. The electrons captured in the fuel cell become a source of electricity. The
natural lycopene in tomatoes is able to help generate electrical charges. It found that electrical
performance using this defective tomato was equal or better than using pure substrates. Rich source of
indigenous redox mediators and carbon, as well as electrons.If we had to name a food with electrical
virtues, there’s no doubt but that the humble potato would top the list. However, in terms of electricity
production, tomatoes are not far behind.The scientists had an unexpected but pleasant surprise! The
lycopene in tomatoes - the pigment that gives them their red color - serves as a natural mediator and so
makes it possible to transfer the electrons produced by the oxidation to the battery’s electrode. A
fortuitous discovery since the mediators usually employed tend to be toxic.

Electricity probably plays a major role in your life—powering everything from your laptop to your
refrigerator, to the light and heat in your house. Electricity is usually produced in a power plant, but you
can create your own electricity-producing chemical reaction using a tomato! Once the electricity is
produced it has to flow through a complete circuit to be used—the two projects below will let you
experiment both with homemade batteries and electrical circuits (Energy featured,2017)

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) has a process that also helps purify the tomato-contaminated solid
waste and associated wastewater. The cell uses bacteria to break down and oxidize organic material in
the defective tomatoes, resulting in the release of electrons, which are captured in the fuel cell and
become a source of electricity. They have found that spoiled and damaged tomatoes left over from
harvest can be a particularly powerful source of energy when used in a biological or microbial
electrochemical cell (Crowley,2016).